Committees Gender and Children Committee Parliamentary delegation assesses urban poverty, 10-12, June 2008
| Parliamentary delegation assesses urban poverty, 10-12, June 2008 |
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Members of the Gender and Children Committee of Parliament, with their colleagues from a cross-section of committees interacted with different segments of residents in the Greater Accra Region. The three-day parliamentary outreach, 10-12 June, 2008 engaged (a) fishing community members from Bortianor, Oshiyie, Ada, Kokrobitey and Tsokome; (b) female head porters (“kayayei”) from Agbogloshie Market, Malata markets and others from the Accra Business District; and (c) women, men and youth from Mamobi-Nima community. The MPs on first day looked at poverty situation in fishing communities and the recent dynamics in the sub-sector, including grievances about foreign trawlers along the Ghanaian coast; on day two the parliamentarians examined the poverty challenge of rural-urban migration with particular focus on the complex issue of female porter “kayayoo” phenomena in Accra, the third day was an interaction with cross-section of residents form Nima-Mamobi on access to potable water supply and attendant implications on community life, hygiene and education for children in the community. These targeted communities are infamously the most deprived communities in the city of Accra, with greater density of poorer people.The objectives of the programme was to create a platform for the parliamentarians to exchange and share experiences with the various communities, to further inform parliamentary contribution to national poverty reduction efforts. The outreach afforded the MPs to understand the changing nature of urban poverty, and to foster citizens direct dialogue with Parliament on community concerns.
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