Madam Lariba Zuweira Abudu with participants in Tamale
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, has held a stakeholder engagement on the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme in Tamale, Northern Region.
The programme is designed to promote the use of cash grants and access to social services, as a catalyst to reduce poverty by smoothening consumption, improving welfare, and fostering long-term human capital development among the extremely poor and vulnerable.
The stakeholder engagement brought together participants from Upper West, Upper East, North East, Northern, Savannah, and Bono East regions.
Officials from the Ministries of Finance, Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, other agencies, and development partners participated in the stakeholder engagement.
The Deputy Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Lariba Zuweira Abudu was of the view that the LEAP programme has encountered some challenges but was optimistic that the stakeholder engagement will provide lasting solutions to some of the challenges which will go a long way to improve and enhance the programme for the benefit of the vulnerable in society.
She urged the stakeholders to take the engagement seriously and try to work effectively to improve the programme.
Madam Abudu reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring that the LEAP programme is sustainable and beneficial to the vulnerable in society.
The Head of the LEAP Programme, Dr. Myles Ongoh, indicated the purpose of the stakeholder engagement is to come together and discuss challenges and difficulties facing the LEAP programme and how to find permanent solutions to ensure that the programme is efficient and effective.
According to him, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Ministry of Finance are in talks to review the cash amount allocated upwards for beneficiaries.
He assured beneficiaries of a timely and efficient payment system after the stakeholder engagement, adding that the government is committed to supporting the poor in society.
The LEAP is funded by the World Bank with support from the Government of Ghana.
FROM Eric Kombat, TamaleÂ