Coronavirus increased crime, domestic violence and prices in Ghana – GSS

General news for Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Source: Daily mail

2020-09-30

The COVID-19 pandemic has had economic and social effects on local communities, resulting in increased crime, domestic violence, prices, and low business productivity.

However, the assistance of non-state actors, such as churches and philanthropists, provided significant support to complement the government’s efforts to lessen the impact of the pandemic on communities.

These are the main findings of the Local Economies Tracker conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), in 2,770 communities / localities in the 16 regions of Ghana. The survey was conducted from May to June 2020 and data was collected from key opinion leaders to understand the effect of COVID-19 on the local economy, particularly in localities in border districts, blocked and unblocked areas.

“COVID-19 has undoubtedly had a devastating impact on Ghana’s households, businesses and the local economy,” said Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, a government statistician.

In response to the pandemic, various people, institutions and government agencies helped localities in different ways, and seven out of ten (71%) localities received some type of assistance, including food and personal protective equipment (PPE). Regarding the source of support, more than 50% of the localities received assistance from the Government and District Assemblies, being the members of Parliament (MP) the largest source of assistance to the communities. In particular, many communities received assistance from non-state organizations, particularly churches (41.5%) and philanthropists (40.8%).

“The support received by communities of churches and philanthropists is a clear demonstration of how non-state actors have complemented and continue to complement the government’s efforts to ensure that communities better recover from the pandemic. Partnerships like these are key to achieving the SDGs, ”said Silke Hollander, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Ghana.

The survey results also revealed that localities witnessed an increase in crime during the COVID-19 shutdown period, with approximately three out of ten communities (34.1%) experiencing an increase in crime, like robberies and robberies. This was followed by an increase in domestic violence (3.7%) and assaults (3.1%) in the communities. Additionally, the COVID-19 restrictions also affected businesses in local communities, with seven to eight in ten businesses experiencing a reduction in production (71.7%) and sales (89.7%) respectively. Businesses also experienced a reduction in the labor supply (36.0%) and the prices of goods and the cost of credit increased.

Although district assemblies were the front-line development assistance service during the outbreak of pandemics such as COVID-19, only a few respondents indicated that their district assemblies created alternative markets, provided subsidized inputs, and made loans. soft to companies and farmers. However, most localities have structures such as district committees, community development, and business assistance, to help them recover from future crises.

“The results imply that the strengthening of district assemblies to take initiatives during crashes, the provision of basic services, the strengthening of social structures, the participation of district security agencies and non-state organizations would help localities to cope with future shocks, “added Professor Annim. .

Furthermore, the findings show that about 25% and 78% of the localities did not benefit from subsidies for electricity and water, respectively. For electricity, this is because these localities are not connected to the national grid, and for water, it is because they depend on other alternative water sources and are not served by Ghana Water Company Limited.

In terms of recovery, the findings suggest that a longer period may be necessary for closed districts to fully recover from the pandemic, with nearly 2 out of 5 localities reporting that it will take more than a year for local economies to recover. with a higher proportion of towns in closed districts (in Accra and Kumasi) having worse expectations.

The results of the COVID-19 Local Economies Tracker highlight the challenges of vulnerable communities to inform the policies and interventions of non-governmental organizations to help communities recover from the pandemic.

Find the full report below.