By Juliet ETEFE
Government has released GHȼ103.25million to pay 324,073 beneficiary households for the 89th cycle Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme.
Payment for the 89 cycle (January and February 2024) is therefore scheduled to start on Monday 1st July 2024 across the country.
In a press briefing held in Accra, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dakoa Newman, noted that the released amount is a result of doubling the initial cash grants for beneficiary households.
She explained that one-member households will now take GHȼ256 from the initial GHȼI28; two-member households GHȼ304 from GHȼ152; three-member households GHȼ352 from GHȼ176 and four-member households GHȼ424 from GH¢212.
This, she stressed, underscores government’s commitment to poverty alleviation and improving the quality of life of the country’s extremely poor and vulnerable households.
“The revised grant amounts will take immediate effect, ensuring that their far-reaching benefits are felt without delay.
“This boost in funding is further expected to provide much-needed relief and support to thousands of families across the country, enabling them meet their basic needs more effectively as well as invest in their future well-being,” she stated.
Issues of delay
Commenting on the consistent delays in disbursement of the LEAP grants, which Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) emphasised further deepens hardship for vulnerable citizens, the minister assured that there will be no default going forward.
“We are putting in more and we needed to ensure that we have the funding. We needed to ensure that we have covered all, so it is part of the reason. There was also much sensitisation that is needed to be done … but we can assure you that once this payment is made, everything is set to hold up,” she assured.
She added that there will be a monitoring and reassessment process put in place to ensure the right individuals benefit from these funds, transitioning from extreme poverty.
Payments details
The current upward adjustment in LEAP grant to beneficiary households follows a prior 100% increase in June 2023.
Between 2015 to 2023, the LEAP grants paid to beneficiary households bi-monthly were: one-member household was entitled to GH¢64, two-member households were entitled to GH¢76, three-member households were entitled to GH¢88 and finally four and above member households were entitled to GH¢106.
From June to December 2023, the LEAP grants paid to beneficiary households bi-monthly were: one-member household was entitled to GH¢128, two-member households were entitled to GH¢152, three-member households were entitled to GH¢176 and finally four and above member households were entitled to GH¢212.
The minister expressed appreciation to partners including the World Bank, World Food Programme and Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office for their continuous support toward the LEAP Programme.
