By Laudia Sawer
Tema, July 31, GNA – The Social Welfare Association of Ghana (SWAG) has recommended to the government and the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MoGC&SP) to graduate and exit the majority of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) beneficiaries.
In a statement signed by Mr Divine Arnold Kodjo Exorgbe, the National President of SWAG, the National President said graduating some beneficiaries would make room for new vulnerable people to enroll.
It was noted that since the inception of the programme in 2008, no beneficiary has graduated or exited the programme.
LEAP is a cash transfer programme introduced by the Government of Ghana in 2008 with the objective of reducing poverty by increasing, smoothing consumption and promoting access to services and opportunities among the extremely poor and vulnerable persons.
Eligible beneficiaries include orphaned and vulnerable children, persons with severe disabilities without any productive capacity, and elderly persons who are aged 65 years and above.
SWAG further recommended that the LEAP Targeting Modules be used to target all the government social interventions, noting that it would make it easier to coordinate all the social interventions and, at the same time, provide value for money.
“As a result, we recommend that the government take keen interest in the reassessment of the LEAP Programme to improve data on poor households to minimise inclusion and exclusion errors,” he said.
The Association further suggested that the government consolidated all the country’s social interventions under the Gender Ministry because it had everything it needed to run them more efficiently based on its track record.
Moreover, all the Social Interventions are included in the Social Inclusive Programme under the “District Development Data Platform,” he said.
SWAG commended the government for the 100 per cent increase in the social cash grant in the 83rd and 84th LEAP Cycles Payment, adding that “The implication of this is that households receiving GH₵64.00 now receives GH₵128.00, GH₵76.00 now receives GH₵152.00, GH₵88.00 now receives GH₵176.00 and GH₵106.00 now receives GH₵212.00.”
It stated that the increment would go a long way to alleviate or minimise the plight of the poor and vulnerable, adding that the government had been responsive to the plight of the vulnerable on the LEAP Programme considering the current economic hardship.
The statement pleaded with the government to consider significantly increasing the mobilisation fund of GHS20.00 paid to Community Focal Persons, which, according to the association, was woefully inadequate.
They further asked that the payment of the fund to the focal persons be made, prior to the LEAP payment exercise to forestall the regular delay in the LEAP Cycle Payment.
GNA