Francisca Oteng-Mensah (3rd left) officially launching the SP MEMIS Dashboad with other dignitaries
The Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection, (MoGCSP) has launch an electronic platform to monitor and evaluate its social protection interventions.
The Social Protection Monitoring and Evaluation Management Information System (SP MEMIS), is expected to augment the monitoring and reporting efforts on social protection programmes within the country.
The platform, also known as, the SP MEMIS Dashboad, was launched at the 5th National Social Protection Dialogue Series, focused on, “Enhancing The Wellbeing Of Vulnerable Ghanaians Through Effective Social Protection Systems”.
The Deputy Minister of MoGCSP, Â Francisca Oteng-Mensah, who launched the platform said SP MEMIS Dashboard will help the ministry to improve monitoring and reporting on social protection performance in the country, at the ECOWAS region, AU level and internationally.
She, therefore, urge all the user institutions, M&E Experts and MIS Experts to ensure the system functions at a very optimal level.
She also announced the development of the National Social Protection Policy second phase implementation Plan (2023 – 2033) to provide the direction and guide social protection programming and delivery in the country for the next five to ten years.
She stressed the ministry’s belief in the digitalisation agenda of the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, adding that it has digitalised all social protection systems to improve service delivery and ensure efficiency and effectiveness.
“You can make mention of the Ghana National Household Registry, LEAP Payment System currently using the E-Zwich platform; Case Management system through the Single Window Citizen Engagement Service (SWCES).
The SWCES is not just for social protection beneficiaries but presents opportunities for all Ghanaians to lodge complaints on social issues in their communities and households and seek redress in a timely and effective manner,” she added.
Madam Oteng-Mensah reaffirmed the government’s commitment to social protection saying, “For instance, we have doubled the LEAP cash grant for the beneficiaries. We have so far conducted regular and consistent LEAP payments to the beneficiaries.
Payment for the 87th cycle began on 4th December and is ongoing across the country. The LEAP programme now covers 350,551 beneficiary households which translate to over 1.5 million extremely poor individuals in the country,” she said.
Again, she said the Ghana National Household registry (GNHR) have so far conducted and collected household data in eight regions totaling 2,295,814.
“The GNHR will be the sole data hub for vulnerable groups and we entreat partners to use the data from the regions that have been completed,” she added.
Regarding the Ghana School Feeding Programme, the sector minister said, “We have so far increased coverage to over 3.8 million pupils in over 11,000 schools in Ghana. We have also increased the feeding rate per pupil and continually working with key stakeholders to ensure effective service delivery.
We are leveraging technology to ensure seamless operations such as digitalizing caterer procurement and all aspects of the programme.
We have also secured additional financing of the Ghana Productive Safety Nets Project (GPSNP 2) which will seek to support and strengthen the delivery of the school feeding programme,” she outlined.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri