The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) yesterday launched the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) Small Area Estimation (SAE) reports to facilitate policy planning and support national development efforts.
The report, the sixth in the series, utilizes data from the 2022 GDHS and the 2021 Population and Housing Census to provide disaggregated indicators that guide the design and implementation of district-specific policies and help identify areas requiring targeted interventions.
Covering six thematic areas—exclusive breastfeeding, childhood immunisation, breast and cervical cancer, gender-based domestic violence, sexual violence against girls and women, and women’s empowerment—the reports highlight wide disparities in health and social outcomes across the country.
According to the findings, screening for breast and cervical cancer remains low nationwide, with significant gaps between regions and districts. Domestic violence prevalence was highest in the Savannah, Central, and Volta regions, with the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District recording the highest rate at 61.9 per cent.
On exclusive breastfeeding, the report noted that more than half of all districts recorded rates between 33 and 49 per cent, below the national average of 52.6 per cent. However, Volta, Oti, Northern, and Savannah regions performed strongly, with several districts exceeding 70 to 80 per cent. Childhood immunisation and women’s empowerment indicators also showed considerable district-level variations, underscoring the importance of targeted social interventions.
Speaking at the launch, the Acting Government Statistician, Mr Omar Seidu, said the findings went “beyond describing health indicators,” providing essential guidance for policy decisions, resource allocation, and progress monitoring towards national and global goals. He explained that more Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicators were tracked using the Demographic Health Survey programme, spanning goals on hunger, health, education, gender equality, water and sanitation, economic growth, inequality reduction, peace, and partnerships.
Mr Seidu stated that national and regional aggregates often concealed disparities, making granular district-level data indispensable. Citing examples, he noted that exclusive breastfeeding rates in the Greater Accra Region fall below 50 per cent across districts, while in the Volta Region eight in ten infants were exclusively breastfed. Cancer screening rates also vary widely, from 6.9 per cent in the Savannah Region to 24.4 per cent in Greater Accra.
Those variations, the Acting Government Statistician emphasised, highlight the need for context-specific interventions to protect children, women, and vulnerable populations. Furthermore, Mr Seidu said the launch of the report coincided with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and called for stronger action to protect women and girls.
He urged government agencies, development partners, and the private sector to invest in Ghana’s data ecosystem, especially as future DHS rounds may no longer receive external funding. Mr Seidu stressed that sustaining the production of high-quality, disaggregated data would require strengthened collaboration among stakeholders.
With the growing demand for district-level data for planning, he encouraged metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies to fully utilise the findings to enhance service delivery. He noted that without sustained investment in data systems, Ghana risks losing the ability to track critical development indicators essential for effective governance.
Professor Stephen Owusu Kwankye of the Regional Institute for Population Studies, who chaired the programme, commended the GSS for producing the reports, describing them as valuable tools for evidence-based planning. He encouraged poorly performing districts to learn from high-performing ones as Ghana worked to improve health and social outcomes nationwide.
By Kingsley Asare
🔗 Follow Ghanaian Times WhatsApp Channel today. https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
🌍 Trusted News. Real Stories. Anytime, Anywhere.
✅ Join our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
