350,000 benefiting households will receive GH¢139,257,367.97 from the government as part of the 96th cycle of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Program.
Beginning yesterday, 260 metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies would be affected by the disbursement.
At a press event, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MoGCSP), announced that the government has raised the budget allocation for the 2025 LEAP Program to GH¢953.5 million, a substantial increase from GH¢728.8 million in 2024.
Dr. Lartey further disclosed that an ongoing reassessment process is being conducted to support the expansion, which would see the number of LEAP recipient homes rise from 350,000 to 400,000 in the upcoming months.
The country’s most disadvantaged households will be protected from inflation and economic shocks by the increased benefits, she said.
She also revealed that in order to improve the program’s impact on important development outcomes like social inclusion, education, health, and nutrition, the government, through the Ministry, had taken decisive action to raise the real value of the LEAP cash transfer by implementing an indexation policy and adjusting the grant to reflect current inflation trends.
“The Government is committed to reducing the cost of living for the most vulnerable by ensuring that the real value of the LEAP grant is preserved despite rising inflation,” she said.
“Under the new structure, a beneficiary household would receive GH¢320, up from GH¢256, Two-member households will now receive GH¢380, up from GH¢304. Three-member households will get GH¢440, up from GH¢352, and Households with four or more eligible members will receive GH¢530, up from GH¢424,” Dr. Lartey added.
“The LEAP Program prioritizes extremely poor households with people in vulnerable categories, including orphans and vulnerable children, elderly people (65+) without assistance, people with severe disabilities who are unable to work, and extremely poor pregnant women or nursing mothers with infants under one year old,” she said.
Additionally, beneficiary households were advised by Dr. Lartey to make prudent use of the monies by giving children’s education, nutrition, and small-scale revenue-generating ventures top priority.
Additionally, she promoted the growth of a savings culture to guarantee long-term financial stability.
“LEAP is more than just cash support; it is a foundation for empowering the most vulnerable to live in dignity, improve their well-being, and contribute meaningfully to national development,” the Minister elaborated.
She went on to thank the ministry’s development partners for their ongoing assistance and urged more cooperation to fill in program coverage gaps, emphasizing the importance of strategic partnerships in accomplishing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the larger objectives of social protection.
Source: newsthemegh.com