Ghana’s steady rise on the Human Development Index (HDI) offers cause for hope, but beneath the surface of this progress lies a troubling truth: not everyone is sharing in the gains.
The 2025 Human Development Report (HDR) places Ghana in the “medium human development” category with an improved HDI score of 0.628 in 2023, up from 0.594 in 2017. This shows positive movement in areas such as health, education, and income. However, a closer look reveals that inequality continues to weigh heavily on our nation’s development journey.
The Ghanaian Times observes that the Inequality-adjusted HDI (IHDI) tells a more sobering story. Ghana’s IHDI currently stands at 0.399, reflecting a 36 percent loss in potential human development due to inequality. This means that while the country as a whole may be progressing, large segments of the population—especially women, persons with disabilities, and rural residents—are being left behind.
Indeed, maternal health is a clear example of this gap. While there was an improvement in the maternal mortality ratio from 274 per 100,000 live births in 2017 to 244 in 2019, the number has risen again to 263 in 2023. In hard-to-reach communities, women still lack access to skilled healthcare.
At the same time, the country is struggling with a high adolescent birth rate of 66.7 births per 1,000 girls’ aged 15 to 19, indicating gaps in reproductive health education and services.
The report also points to improvements in economic indicators. Ghana’s Gross National Income (GNI) per capita has risen from $5,671 in 2017 to $6,846 in 2023, and overall labour force participation has rebounded post-COVID.
However, gender disparities remain a challenge. Female participation in the labour force lags behind men—63.7 per cent for women compared to 72.6 per cent for men. In politics, too, women remain underrepresented, with only 14.6 per cent of parliamentary seats held by women—a modest rise from 12.7 per cent in 2017 and still far below global standards.
So, while we must celebrate Ghana’s progress, we cannot ignore the urgent need for structural reforms. As the Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Nii Moi Thompson rightly noted, socio-economic inequalities in education, labour, and income are deep-rooted threats to Ghana’s sustainable progress. These must be addressed with bold, inclusive policies—not just statistics and slogans.
Nevertheless, the future is not without promise. Ghana’s growing use of digital tools and artificial intelligence (AI)—such as Zipline’s drone delivery of medical supplies—highlights the country’s potential to close service delivery gaps. These innovations, when ethically and widely deployed, can help transform access to healthcare, education, and employment, particularly in agriculture and other rural sectors.
Moving forward, The Ghanaian Times is of the opinion that, Ghana must focus on inclusive growth. We need targeted investments in girls’ education, rural infrastructure, primary healthcare, and digital access. More importantly, national and local leadership must reflect the diversity of the population, ensuring every citizen feels represented and empowered.
Human development is not just about averages—it is about fairness. Ghana’s next leap will depend not on how high we climb, but on how many of us rise together. Let this report serve as a wake-up call and a guide, reminding us that no progress is complete until it touches all lives.