Ghana’s Social Policy Response to Covid-19: Leaving the Poorest Behind?

Abstract

This report analyses Ghana’s policy response to the Covid-19 pandemic, with particular attention to the social sector. It highlights the various policies that were adopted to help minimise the impact of the pandemic, ranging from the provision of free/subsidised water and electricity, and the distribution of food to vulnerable groups during the partial lockdown of the country. The report argues that whilst these social interventions were useful in mitigating the hardships posed by the pandemic, their overall impact was undermined by a number of factors, including the lack of a reliable database on the poor and vulnerable, ineffective targeting mechanisms, and the politicisation of the distribution of benefits.