The round eight (8) of the Afrobarometer survey released by the Centre of Democratic Development (CDD) Ghana has revealed that most Ghanaians are willing to accept restrictions on their movement during crisis.

Thus they are willing to welcome security measures such as curfews and roadblocks to be part of government strategy to secure the country.

Interestingly, this national survey was conducted in latter of part of 2019 before the emergence of the novel Covid-19 in the country’s borders, especially in Accra and part of the Ashanti region. 

The data, which was rather released to the media yesterday, indicate the willingness of the citizens to accept such restrictions to protect them.

Although most of the 2,4000 respondents captured under the survey agreed to such decisions across various  social- demographic groups, few others, specifically,  in cities or otherwise are experiencing high levels of poverty hold a different view.

Thus 75 percent (%) of the respondents said the government should be able to curtail all people’s movement in the face of threats of security.

According to findings, the people’s willingness to accept government restrictions on movement was 64% lower in the Greater than in the Ashanti region 79%.

To those experiencing poverty, a lockdown may pose a particular challenge to them and this assertion was widely held by almost three-fourths (72%) of respondents, said went without cash income at least once during the year proceeding the survey.

Among this figure, one-third (32%) said they went without needed medical care while one-third, (26%) reported experiencing food shortages.

Meanwhile, only three in 10 Ghanaians (30%) have running water in their homes or compound with a similar proportion of 33% sources their water from public standpipes.

Urban residents representing 44%, especially those relatively well-off (37%) are more likely to have access to piped water inside the house or compound as against rural residents (40%) and the poor (24%).

To compound the problem, fewer than half 46% of Ghanaians have toilets facilities in their homes or compound, thus a majority of Ghanaians (54%) use latrine outside their compounds or have no access to latrines on their compounds or public ones at all.

 Also, rural residents (30%) rather are more likely than urban residents to have to resort to public latrines or lack access to latrines altogether (69% vs 39%).

When Comparing the two regions affected by the lockdown, residents in the Ashanti region are far less likely than those in Greater Accra to have piped water (39% vs 68%) and interns if toilet it is 56% against 68% have these facilities at their homes or compound.

Even among citizens who experience lived poverty and lack to ready access to water and toilet most expressed support in principles as of late 2019 for government right to limit people’s movements to protect public security.

By Bernice Bessey