Up to two-thirds of the population in Ghana experienced a decrease in household income due to COVID-19

In a joint press release issued by the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, and World Bank, the UNICEF Director of Programme Group, Sanjay Wijesekera says “the modest progress made in reducing child poverty in recent years risks being reversed in all parts of the world. Families have experienced income loss at a staggering scale. While last year inflation reached its highest level in years, more than two thirds of households with children brought in less money. Families cannot afford food or essential health care services. They cannot afford housing. It is a dire picture, and the poorest households are being pushed even deeper in poverty,” .

The report finds that children in 40 percent of households did not engage in any form of educational activities while their schools were closed. In Ghana, 35 percent of children in Basic School and 28 percent of Senior High School students were not engaged in learning while they were at home from March to December 2020. The main challenge faced by children for home learning was access to basic tools such as computers or phones and internet. Given that data is compiled at the household level, the actual participation rate at individual level is likely even lower, especially for children who come from households with three or more children.