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Tag: LEAP

  • GHC5.4bn spent on LEAP and school feeding programmes – Finance Minister

    GHC5.4bn spent on LEAP and school feeding programmes – Finance Minister

    Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, has revealed that the government has disbursed 5.4 billion Ghana Cedis to support Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), School Feeding programme, Capitation Grant and NHIS since January, 2024.

    He noted that the aim of this disbursement was to to reduce the burden on the vulnerable in our country.

    The minister made this information known when he delivered the 2024 Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament on Tuesday, July 2023.

    “We have spent about 1.5 billion Ghana Cedis to support 1,488,575 students under the Free SHS programme between January and June this year,” he added.

    LEAP

    Payment for the 89th LEAP cycle (covering January and February 2024) commenced nationwide on Monday, July 1, 2024.

    During a press briefing in Accra, Dakoa Newman, the Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, highlighted that the increased funds reflect a doubling of the initial cash grants for beneficiary households.

    She outlined the new amounts: GH¢256 for one-member households (up from GH¢128), GH¢304 for two-member households (up from GH¢152), GH¢352 for three-member households (up from GH¢176), and GH¢424 for four-member households (up from GH¢212).

    Meanwhile, the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Management Secretariat paid out cash grants totaling GH¢84,480 to 44 beneficiaries who had passed away, according to the Auditor General’s report.

    The report also stated that beneficiaries who were no longer eligible for the program received payments totaling GH¢396,620.

    A government-run social protection program called LEAP seeks to lessen economic and social hardship by giving cash grants to extremely poor and vulnerable households.

    “We found that LMS paid cash grants to caregivers of deceased beneficiaries in one-member households, resulting in payments to 44 deceased beneficiaries amounting to GH¢84,480.”

    “We also noted that LMS did not conduct reassessments of LEAP as required. Despite identifying positive impacts of the programme, LMS failed to graduate or exit beneficiaries even when their socioeconomic status had improved. This led to payments of GH¢396,620 to beneficiaries who no longer qualify to be on the programme,” he stated.

    On August 8, 2023, Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, the Auditor General, sent a transmittal letter to the Speaker of Parliament containing this information.

    The Auditor General noted that the audit, which covered the years 2017 to 2022, was carried out at the LMS and five districts spread across three regions from February to October 2022.

    He also emphasized that LMS had violated fund utilisation guidelines, which meant that more money was spent on program administration than was allowed. This resulted in GH¢15,369,309.97 in overspending, endangering the program’s viability. Furthermore, MOGCSP failed to keep accurate records of the money spent.

    He proposed that in order to increase accountability, MOGCSP should improve its record-keeping procedures.

    School feeding

    The Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) has announced that the proposed GHS1.50 increase per beneficiary pupil will be implemented with the payment for the second term of the 2023/2024 academic year.

    This adjustment, as detailed in the government’s 2024 Budget and Financial Statement, will come into effect for the second term.

    In a statement released on Friday, July 5, 2024, the GSFP assured all caterers across the 16 regions that the National Secretariat is diligently working with the sector ministry to ensure the timely release of funds by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to clear outstanding arrears at the new approved rate.

    The statement clarified that the recent payment for the first term was based on the “grant of GHS1.20 per pupil as captured under the 2023 budget.”

    It emphasized that any deviation from this approved rate for the first term would have been “extremely challenging.”

    “All caterers are kindly requested to exercise a little more patience as we finalize the processes for the second term payment,” the statement read.

  • LEAP: Over GHS480K paid to unqualified beneficiaries, deceased – Report

    LEAP: Over GHS480K paid to unqualified beneficiaries, deceased – Report

    The Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Management Secretariat paid out cash grants totaling GH¢84,480 to 44 beneficiaries who had passed away, according to the Auditor General’s report.

    The report also stated that beneficiaries who were no longer eligible for the program received payments totaling GH¢396,620.

    A government-run social protection program called LEAP seeks to lessen economic and social hardship by giving cash grants to extremely poor and vulnerable households.

    “We found that LMS paid cash grants to caregivers of deceased beneficiaries in one-member households, resulting in payments to 44 deceased beneficiaries amounting to GH¢84,480.”

    “We also noted that LMS did not conduct reassessments of LEAP as required. Despite identifying positive impacts of the programme, LMS failed to graduate or exit beneficiaries even when their socioeconomic status had improved. This led to payments of GH¢396,620 to beneficiaries who no longer qualify to be on the programme,” he stated.

    On August 8, 2023, Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, the Auditor General, sent a transmittal letter to the Speaker of Parliament containing this information.

    The Auditor General noted that the audit, which covered the years 2017 to 2022, was carried out at the LMS and five districts spread across three regions from February to October 2022.

    He also emphasized that LMS had violated fund utilisation guidelines, which meant that more money was spent on program administration than was allowed. This resulted in GH¢15,369,309.97 in overspending, endangering the program’s viability. Furthermore, MOGCSP failed to keep accurate records of the money spent.

    He proposed that in order to increase accountability, MOGCSP should improve its record-keeping procedures.

  • 324,073 LEAP beneficiaries to receive GHC103m from gov’t

    324,073 LEAP beneficiaries to receive GHC103m from gov’t

    The Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), has announced a significant increase in cash grants for households benefiting from the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme.

    This move is part of ongoing efforts to enhance support for vulnerable households across the country.

    In a statement released on Thursday, June 27, the ministry disclosed that it has disbursed GHC 103,251,072.01 to cater to 324,073 beneficiary households under the 89th cycle of the LEAP programme. These funds are slated for distribution starting Monday, July 1, 2024, ensuring timely financial assistance reaches those in need.

    The ministry highlighted that this adjustment marks a continuation of efforts initiated in June 2023, when a 100% increase in LEAP grants was implemented.

    Previously, LEAP grants varied based on household size, with single-member households receiving GHC 64.00 bi-monthly, two-member households receiving GHC 76.00, three-member households receiving GHC 88.00, and households with four or more members receiving GHC 106.00.

    The ministry expressed gratitude to its partners, including the World Bank, World Food Programme, and Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, for their continued support in enhancing the effectiveness and reach of the LEAP programme.

  • LEAP programme: Govt loses over GHC15m over wrongful disbursement and overspending between 2017 and 2022 – Report

    LEAP programme: Govt loses over GHC15m over wrongful disbursement and overspending between 2017 and 2022 – Report

    Between 2017 and 2022, the country spent about GH15.8 million on payments to unqualified people, including the deceased, and overspending under the Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) Programme.

    This was stated in an audit report on LEAP management issued by the Auditor-General’s Department and forwarded to Parliament.

    Out of the figure, GH¢396,620.00 was paid to 170 beneficiaries under the scheme whose socio-economic status had improved and who no longer qualified for the grant and an amount of GH¢84,480 was paid to representatives of some 44 deceased beneficiaries.

    The report blamed inadequate record-keeping practises by the LEAP Management Secretariat (LMS) as a cause of the leaks in the disbursement of funds, which have cost the country about GH¢15,369,309.97 and risked the sustainability of the programme.

    It was recommended by the audit report that the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGSCP) improve its records-keeping regime to increase accountability.

    Consequently, the report recommended an immediate enhancement of record-keeping practises by the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MoGCSP) to strengthen accountability measures.

    It advised that moving forward, “all accountants on the LEAP programme maintain records and report on a quarterly basis to the Chief Director on all financial information related to cash grants and administrative costs relevant to the programme.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSV5P_rtukE

    Moreover, it asked the LEAP secretariat to reconsider and review its decision to rely solely on the Ghana National Housing Register (GNHR) to identify beneficiaries while conducting a reassessment to exit ineligibles.

    “The LMS should adhere to the LEAP Fund utilisation guidelines during programme implementation to promote sustainability,” the Auditor-General urged.

    LEAP, a government-run social protection initiative, was launched in 2008 and is currently in its 15th year. 

    The programme focuses on supporting disadvantaged segments of the population, including orphans and vulnerable children, nursing mothers, elderly individuals, and those with significant disabilities. 

    It offers bimonthly cash grants to qualified households in numerous districts throughout the country. 

    By the end of December 2020, the programme had successfully enrolled 335,015 extremely impoverished households in 259 districts.

  • Govt to pay about GHS424 to LEAP beneficiaries in joint cycle

    Govt to pay about GHS424 to LEAP beneficiaries in joint cycle

    The Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MoGCSP) has announced the commencement of payments to beneficiaries under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Programme on Monday, September 4.

    Introduced in 2008 by the Government of Ghana, the LEAP Programme is a cash transfer initiative designed to assist individuals living in extreme poverty.

    Its primary goals are to alleviate poverty by enhancing and stabilizing consumption levels and to facilitate access to services and opportunities for the most impoverished and vulnerable individuals.

    According to a press release from the Ministry, both the 85th and 86th cycles of the LEAP Programme will be disbursed to beneficiaries simultaneously.

    The statement reads, “The Ministry wishes to inform the beneficiary households of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Programme and its stakeholders across the country that the bi-monthly cash grant payment for the 85th and 86th cycles starts on the 4th of September 2023. The two cycles will be paid jointly to beneficiary households.”

    Due to the combined payment, households with one eligible member will receive Two Hundred and Fifty-Six Ghana Cedis (GH¢256.00); households with two eligible members will receive Three Hundred and Four Ghana Cedis (GH¢304.00).

    Three-member households will receive Three Hundred and Fifty-Two Ghana Cedis (GH¢352.00), while households with four or more eligible members will receive Four Hundred and Twenty-Four Ghana Cedis (GH¢424.00).

  • Cash grants for LEAP beneficiaries to be increased by government

    Cash grants for LEAP beneficiaries to be increased by government

    Effective Monday, June 19, the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program will begin distributing cash awards around the country on behalf of the government through the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection.

    A press release, signed by the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, stated that the grants have been increased by 100% in response to the escalating global socio-economic crisis.

    The release outlined the new grant amounts: households with one eligible member will now receive GH₵128, up from GH₵64; households with two eligible members will receive GHS 152 instead of GH₵76; households with three eligible members will receive GH₵176, up from GH₵88; and households with four or more eligible members will now receive GH₵212, compared to the previous GH₵106. These adjustments apply to the 83rd and 84th cycles of the social protection programme, which aims to alleviate poverty by providing bi-monthly cash grants to the most vulnerable households in Ghana. The programme also seeks to improve human capital development and enhance consumption patterns among beneficiaries.

    The Minister, Hajia Lariba Zuweira Abudu, highlighted the worsening impact of the global economic crisis on the lives and livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable. The release emphasized the government’s commitment to addressing these challenges and mitigating their effects on the vulnerable population. “As a responsible government, we are taking the necessary steps to resolve the current challenges and as well reduce the effects of the shocks on the poor and vulnerable,” stated the release.

    The government has allocated GH₵109,031,160.00 for the 83rd and 84th cycles, enabling the payment of cash grants to approximately 350,000 households. These households encompass over 1.5 million individuals who are beneficiaries of the LEAP Programme.

    The amount received by each household depends on the number of eligible individuals within the household, including orphans and vulnerable children, elderly individuals without support, persons with severe disabilities, and extremely poor pregnant women and mothers with infants under one year.

    The Ministry urged all stakeholders involved in the LEAP payment process, including the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, the LEAP Community Focal Persons, the Payment Service Provider (the Ghana Inter-bank Payment and Settlement Systems), and the Participating Financial Institutions, to ensure the successful distribution of the grants.

    The Ministry expressed gratitude to the LEAP Programme’s supporters, including The World Bank, UNICEF, and the World Food Programme, for their valuable assistance.

  • Gender Ministry holds stakeholders’ workshop on LEAP payment processes, performance

    To guarantee a seamless delivery of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) cash grant to beneficiary households in Ghana, the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection has organized workshops on the LEAP payment process and performance for key stakeholders in Volta and Eastern Regions.

    The LEAP programme disburses cash grants to beneficiary households to reduce poverty by smoothening consumption and promoting human capital development.

    The workshop ensured stakeholders at the national, regional, and district levels have an enhanced understanding of the Programmes Payment processes, objectives, guiding principles, and goals.

    It was also to strengthen the capacity of District Social Welfare Officers (DSWOs) who are the Focal Persons on LEAP.

    As part of the LEAP payment process, the LEAP Management Secretariat will employ zoning strategies to engage sub-national level structures tasked with implementing LEAP at various levels.

    It is expected that stakeholders in the LEAP Payment process will understand payment targets, measure the performance of the payment delivery chain and obtain inputs to renew the payment contract.

    Participants from the Greater Accra, Oti, Volta, Western, Central, and Eastern Regions were drawn from the Ministry of Finance, Controller and Accountant Generals Department, and the Department of Social Welfare.

    The rests are representatives from Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GHIPSS) and Participating Financial Institutions (PFI).

    The World Bank funded the stakeholders’ engagement workshop under the Ghana Productive Safety Net Project (GPSNP).

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Government begins e-payment of LEAP beneficiaries

    The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has announced an electronic payment platform for beneficiaries on the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP).

    Addressing journalists at the Information Ministry during the “Meet the Press” series on Wednesday, September 2, 2020, the sector Minister, Hon. Cynthia Mamle Morrison stated that all LEAP households have been connected to financial services through the e-payment (Ezwich) platform.

    “Five (5) cycles of LEAP cash grants have been paid to 334,084 households to help smoothen their daily consumption. A total of 1,451,656 extremely poor beneficiaries are currently on the LEAP register. Other achievements chalked under the LEAP include; development of an emergency payment strategy for LEAP in the wake of COVID 19 pandemic, regular engagements with district Social Welfare officers, participating financial Institutions and GHIPSS to discuss and provide solutions to electronic payment challenges.”

    According to the minister, 73% of LEAP beneficiaries have been enrolled onto the National Health Insurance Scheme with 5,522 individuals linked to other complementary and productive activities. She gave the breakdown is as follows; Labor Intensive Public Works- 3,054, Japanese Social Development Fund -1,235, Village Savings and Loans Association-348 and Complimentary Income Generating Scheme-537.

    Touching on data collection, Hon. Morrison also mentioned that the Ghana National Household Registry has been instituted to collect data on the vulnerable in Ghana and become the centre of targeting for social interventions programmes including the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), LIPW, NHIS among others.

    This data, according to her is useful for planning by the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), Academia, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Civil Society Groups and other agencies in social development. The objective of the GNHR database is to improve targeting efficiency and effectiveness and make it easier for the government to identify and target the poor and vulnerable for all social protection interventions in Ghana.

    “Currently, Upper West and Upper East regions have data on the socio-economic status of 137,565 and 184,125 households respectfully. Northern, North East and Savannah have data on the socio-economic status of 140,000 households so far. The GNHR is currently continuing with data collection in the North East, Northern and Savannah Regions to obtain an updated and more comprehensive database on poor and vulnerable persons in the country”, she emphasized.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Gender Ministry to pay LEAP beneficiaries through mobile money

    The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) is considering paying the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) beneficiaries through mobile money to ease the stress of receiving their cash.

    Mrs Cynthia Mamle Morrison, the sector Minister made this known when she supervised payment to 120 LEAP beneficiaries at Nyakrom in the Agona West District of the Central Region.

    The beneficiaries who were given between GH¢64.00 to GH¢140.00 per month, received two months payment for June and July as a social intervention measure to reduce poverty in the country.

    The Minister said the rationale behind the decision to pay them through Mobile money was due to difficulties beneficiaries went through accessing their monies from the banks.

    Mrs Morrison said next payment would be done through mobile money and while the Ministry was against paying the monies into mobile accounts that were not for the beneficiaries, it was also not possible for the Ministry to provide every beneficiary with mobile phone.

    She assured that steps were being taken for the Ministry to reach out to all beneficiaries.

    The Minister stated that her Ministry was pursuing an aggressive policies and programmes to ensure that beneficiaries of LEAP continued to enjoy better life for it to reach out to other less privileged people in the Society.

    It was also considering giving vocational and technical training skills to LEAP beneficiaries for them to establish their own businesses to enable them become self-reliant.

    According to the Minister, discussions have gone far with development partners to look for startup capitals for the beneficiaries to embark on income generating ventures.

    The purpose, she noted, was to assist beneficiaries to improve on their living standards to pave the way for others to also enjoy the programme.

    Mrs Morrison said the Ministry would also start giving training on financial management and others by the newly established “Business Resources Center” (BRC) at Agona Swedru for sound management of finds.

    She said apart from management training, strategies were being put in place to enable the LEAP beneficiaries to form co-operatives with strong financial base to help manage their resources profitably.

    Source: GNA

  • Gender Ministry to pay LEAP beneficiaries through Mobile money

    The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) is considering paying the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) beneficiaries through mobile money to ease the stress of receiving their cash.

    Mrs Cynthia Mamle Morrison, the sector Minister made this known when she supervised payment to 120 LEAP beneficiaries at Nyakrom in the Agona West District of the Central Region.

    The beneficiaries who were given between GH¢64.00 to GH¢140.00 per month, received two months payment for June and July as a social intervention measure to reduce poverty in the country.

    The Minister said the rationale behind the decision to pay them through Mobile money was due to difficulties beneficiaries went through accessing their monies from the banks.

    Mrs Morrison said next payment would be done through mobile money and while the Ministry was against paying the monies into mobile accounts that were not for the beneficiaries, it was also not possible for the Ministry to provide every beneficiary with a mobile phone.

    She assured that steps were being taken for the Ministry to reach out to all beneficiaries.

    The Minister stated that her Ministry was pursuing aggressive policies and programmes to ensure that beneficiaries of LEAP continued to enjoy a better life for it to reach out to other less privileged people in the Society.

    It was also considering giving vocational and technical training skills to LEAP beneficiaries for them to establish their own businesses to enable them become self-reliant.

    According to the Minister, discussions have gone far with development partners to look for startup capitals for the beneficiaries to embark on income generating ventures.

    The purpose, she noted, was to assist beneficiaries to improve on their living standards to pave the way for others to also enjoy the programme.

    Mrs Morrison said the Ministry would also start giving training on financial management and others by the newly established “Business Resources Center” (BRC) at Agona Swedru for sound management of funds.

    She said apart from management training, strategies were being put in place to enable the LEAP beneficiaries to form cooperatives with a strong financial base to help manage their resources profitably.

     

    Source: GNA

  • Government tops up grants of LEAP beneficiaries

    Government, through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), has topped-up grants of beneficiaries under its Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme to enable them to purchase basic COVID-19 personal protective equipment.

    The top-up was due to the change in the mode of payment of the beneficiaries as a result of the social distancing measures instituted by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

    In view of the COVID-19 preventive protocols, beneficiaries are to visit banks and cash points to access grant, instead of the usual mode of disbursement through LEAP payment points.

    According to the Gender Ministry, the top-up was to enable beneficiaries to purchase face masks, hand sanitizers and reduce the burden on the cost of transportation to the banks.

    Mr Myles Ongoh, Assistant Director of the LEAP Programme, Ministry of Gender an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra explained that one eligible member of the LEAP beneficiaries would receive GH¢64.00, two eligible member households would receive GH¢76.00, while three eligible member households would receive GH¢88.00 and four or more, GH¢106.00.

    For the transportation, LEAP beneficiaries from rural communities received a top-up of GH¢20.00 and GH¢7.00 for urban communities and all households are also given a flat top-up (for both urban and rural communities) of GH¢10.00, he said.

    Mr Ongoh said: “We would want to express our gratitude to the Gender Minister, Mrs Cynthia Mamle Morrison for making issues of vulnerability and disability dear to her heart and insisting that we do the right thing with our proposals, and readily ensuring that these beneficiaries are paid their monies”.

    The Assistant Director also thanked the development partners of the programme World Bank, the Department for International Development, and UNICEF for their support in ensuring that MoGCSP achieved most of its objectives.

    Mr Colson Akanbasiam, Head of Communications of the LEAP Programme, said the District Social Welfare Officers, would ensure the successful implementation of the changes.

    He said the officers were tasked to sensitise beneficiaries and were available to provide them with sensitisation materials at the banking halls and hand washing areas to support in the efforts to mitigate COVID-19.

    He explained that the LEAP programme, as part of measures to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on its beneficiaries, paid them two months of their grants during the period of restriction of movement.

    He said the secretariat also embarked on field monitoring to ensure that staff of the LEAP Management dealing directly with the beneficiaries adhere strictly to the safety protocols and gave the beneficiaries the amounts due.

    The LEAP, implemented in 2008 by the MoGCSP, is a soft-conditional cash transfer programme to reduce poverty by smoothening consumption and promoting human capital development among extremely poor households.

    Beneficiaries of the intervention are orphans and vulnerable children, persons aged 65 and above without support, persons with a severe disability who cannot work, and extremely poor pregnant women with infants (under one year).

    Source: GNA

  • LEAP: Well soon recruit new beneficiaries – Gender Minister

    The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Cynthia Morrison has said the ministry has successfully paid all persons under the Livelihood Empower Against Poverty (LEAP) Cash Payment.

    The minister speaking in an interview with Kwabena Agyapong on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm noted that they do not owe any beneficiary.

    Cynthia Morrison said beneficiaries have always been encouraged to make judicious use of the remittance they receive from the government.

    This she hinted would help the encourage the government to expand the facility to cover more families.

    She hinted the ministry will soon review the list of beneficiaries as they have identified that children who receive the money on behalf of the aged, are capable of working to cater for their aged parents.

    She revealed the ministry will rather empower these individuals, start them up so they will be able to generate resources to take care of their aged parents.

    “We are considering moving some of the beneficiaries to another stage. We want to empower some of them, start them up and take them off the LEAP. There some of them who invest their money into small businesses. These are the categories we want to empower and resource them and take them off the LEAP and recruit new beneficiaries,” she added.

    The Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) is a Cash transfer programme introduced by Former President John Agyekum Kuffour cushion the poorest households in the country.

    It is to assist the poorest families with basic needs including food, to improve health and education status of children in the poorest families and lastly to help the beneficiary families come out of their poverty situations.

    The Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) is a cash transfer programme introduced by the Government of Ghana (GOG) in 2008, for extremely poor and vulnerable households which have the following three categories of eligible members:

    The main objective of the LEAP Program is to reduce poverty by increasing and smoothening consumption and promoting access to services and opportunities among the extremely poor and vulnerable.

    Source: rainbowradioonline.com