Wa West records biggest poverty reduction with 37.9% drop in four years

Wa West has recorded one of the highest poverty reduction rate in Ghana, achieving a remarkable 37.9 percentage-point drop within four years, according to recent Ghana Statistical Service data.

The report indicated that multidimensional poverty in Wa West dropped significantly from 61.9 per cent in 2021 to 24.0 per cent in 2025, marking one of Ghana’s most remarkable poverty reduction gains in recent years.

Addressing a press conference in Wa, the Wa West Constituency NDC Chairman, Mathew Vaari, said the district has moved beyond its previous negative perception to a level residents can proudly celebrate.

“Today, we are celebrating a history that Wa West has moved from that bad perception to a level that we must be happy with,” Chairman Vaari stated.

Mathew Vaari said the significant reduction in multidimensional poverty in the district reflects the efforts of duty bearers especially the Wa West Member of Parliament for embarking on some developmental projects.

He noted that while the improvement may not yet be felt in every household, some residents are already experiencing better living conditions.

“I cannot here speak on individual pockets, but we are looking at the bridges and other developmental issues that are going on in the district. So some people may have and others may not have. I cannot say it is reflecting everybody’s pockets, but some people’s pockets are reflecting,” he said.

For his part, Saaka Mauzu praised the efforts of Member of Parliament Hon. Peter Lanchene Toobu for investing his share of the Common Fund into road rehabilitation and development projects across several communities in the constituency.

Mauzu said the current administration inherited empty DRIP accounts after taking over power from the previous administration under the NPP government.

“The money was used for reshaping roads, carving out new routes, and sectional gravelling in various communities,” he stated.

“In all, that is 200,000 Ghana cedis from his Common Fund for reshaping, re-gravelling, and rehabilitation of roads,” he stated.

He explained that the first phase of the project covered more than 60 kilometres of roads, while the second phase extended to over 75 kilometres.