Kumasi, April 16, GNA – The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), has exposed farmer leaders and members to Ghana’s social protection systems and interventions at a three-day sensitization workshop in Kumasi.
It was organized for members of the Ghana Federation of Forest and Farm Producers (GhaFFaP) to appreciate and understand concepts of social protection and identify pathways of entry for smallholder farmers.
Participants interacted with officials from the Ministry to explore avenues for GhaFFaP members to access various social protection services.
It also empowered them to chart ways to support the government in the design and sustainable implementation of social protection initiatives.
Participants were sensitized on the Single Window Citizens Engagement Service (SWCES) through which beneficiaries and the citizenry can lodge complaints and grievances or access some services.
The SWCES also seeks to improve the referral system in Ghana.
They were also enlightened on the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme, Labour Intensive Public Works, Ghana School Feeding Programme, and National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), with emphasis on the exempt category.
Mr Samuel Boakye Marfo, a Principal Social Development Officer at the Social Protection Directorate of the MoGCSP, said the government was implementing a
National Social Protection Policy, which sought to, among other things, provide a framework for delivering social protection consistently, effectively and efficiently.
He said that the Ministry and its partners were working to strengthen systems to improve coordination, linkages and complementarities of social protection in Ghana.
Mr Marfo added that the Ministry was also developing a social protection bill which was expected to be finalized soon, and when enacted into a Law, would go a long way to ensure sustainable implementation of social programmes in Ghana.
He indicated that addressing poverty and related vulnerabilities required a collective and a multi sectoral approach and that every Ghanaian had a key role to play in fighting poverty.
Mr Mark Kebo Akparibo, Secretary to the GhaFFaP, expressed satisfaction on the training received and noted that it had broadened members’ perspectives of the key entry points in social protection.
He said the Federation had identified the need for members to support policy advocacy towards ensuring that the current bill for social protection was enacted into a law.
Mr Akparibo pledged that the farmers would liaise effectively with the MoGCSP and its related agencies in building synergies between their responsibilities as smallholder farmers and government’s duties in ensuring delivery of social protection services.
The Federation was envisaging a gender-lens approach in their activities to highlight women and youth to create decent employment opportunities for members and improve production around forest and farm produce, he noted.
The Programme was organized by the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana with support from the Forest and Farm Facilities (FFF) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
GNA