The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hon. Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has visited the Adenta Municipality in the Greater Accra Region to monitor the ongoing payment of grants under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme.
The visit enabled the Minister to observe the payment process and interact directly with LEAP beneficiaries, caregivers and officials of the Adenta Municipal Assembly.
The beneficiaries included existing LEAP households as well as new households enrolled following a nationwide reassessment of the programme.
Under the new six-tier payment structure, households receive grants based on household size and vulnerability status. Two payment cycles are being paid together under the current exercise.
Households with 1–2 members receive GH¢784 if classified as vulnerable and GH¢760 if not classified as vulnerable. Those with 3–4 members receive GH¢984 and GH¢904, respectively, while households with five or more members receive GH¢1,260 if vulnerable and GH¢1,188 if not vulnerable.
Speaking to the media, Dr. Naa Momo Lartey said the exercise went beyond the disbursement of funds, stressing the importance of ensuring that LEAP support reached households that genuinely needed it.
She explained that the reassessment had enabled households whose socio-economic circumstances had improved to exit the programme, while making room for the inclusion of other extremely poor and vulnerable households.
The Minister said the expansion of LEAP following the reassessment made effective monitoring particularly important to ensure that payments reached the intended beneficiaries.
She also appealed to caregivers receiving funds on behalf of beneficiaries who are unable to access the payments themselves to ensure that the money was handed over to the beneficiaries and used in their interest.
Dr. Naa Momo Lartey further urged beneficiaries to use the grants prudently to address their household needs, while encouraging caregivers and local officials to safeguard the integrity of the payment process.
She expressed appreciation to the Member of Parliament for Adenta, Hon. Ramadan Adam, the Adenta Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Ella Christine Esinam Nongo, social welfare officers, caregivers and beneficiaries for their cooperation during the reassessment and payment exercise.
The Minister noted that household circumstances could change over time, making periodic assessments necessary to ensure that social protection interventions continued to benefit those who needed them most.
Beneficiaries with concerns regarding payments, enrolment or verification have been encouraged to contact their Community Focal Persons or District Social Welfare Offices, or call 0800-800-800, 0800-900-900 or 0303-969399.
