The nexus between women empowerment and poverty reduction in urban Ghana: A study of the Ho Municipality.

Poverty is a major problem that has occupied the attention of governments, NGOs and International Development Agencies. The poor are denied adequate access to basic necessities such as water, sanitation, health and education etc. Women form the majority of the most vulnerable to poverty. Socio-cultural practices constrain women’s access to resources and decision-making structures, hence their vulnerability. Governments and Development partners have implemented several policies and programmes in order to empower women so they can take decisions and act on them in a manner that transforms their livelihoods. This study assesses the impact of women’s empowerment on poverty reduction in the Ho municipality. It assessed women’s feeling of empowerment as well as the impact of empowerment on access to and use of resources. The study revealed that empowerment has enhanced access to and use of productive resources by women. The researchers recommend that women must be equipped with skills, given start-up capital and linked to resources. Finally, girl-child education must be promoted to prepare girls adequately even before they get into adulthood.