Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey
The government has released GH¢139.25 million for disbursement as cash grants to vulnerable households under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Programme.
The 96th payment cycle also reflects a 25 per cent increase in the allowances. The payment covers March to April this year.
With the upward adjustment, one-member households which previously received GH¢265 will now get GH¢320, while two-member households will receive GH¢380, increased from the previous GH¢304.
Three-member households will get GH¢440, an increase from the GH¢352, while households with four or more members will be paid GH¢530 instead of the previous GH¢424.
The payments, which started yesterday, will benefit 350,000 households across 260 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs).
This is the second time this year that the government has disbursed funds under the LEAP to beneficiaries.
The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, announced the latest payments at a press briefing in Accra yesterday.
Background
Earlier this year, the government disbursed GH¢265.22 million for the 94th and 95th payment cycles of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Programme.
The payments, scheduled for the last week of March 2025, benefited 350,000 households across 260 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
The joint disbursement covered the 94th cycle (November–December 2024) and the 95th cycle (January–February 2025).
Commitment
Dr Lartey said President John Dramani Mahama was committed to reducing the cost of living by taking appropriate and decisive actions to stimulate economic growth and ensure development for all.
She said the LEAP cash grant had been increased significantly across all household categories to enhance its real value and impact on key development indicators, such as nutrition, health care, education and income-generating activities.
Dr Lartey explained that the increase came amid broader efforts by the government to mitigate the impact of rising living costs on the country’s most vulnerable citizens.
To sustain the expanded support, she said the government had allocated GH¢953.5 million to the LEAP Programme in the 2025 budget, a significant rise from the GH¢728.8 million allocated last year.
In addition, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection said steps were underway to scale up the number of beneficiary households from 350,000 to 400,000, following an ongoing reassessment exercise aimed at identifying more households in need.
“The ongoing reassessment exercise will help us reach the target of 400,000 beneficiary households in upcoming disbursement cycles,” she said.
Eligibility
Dr Lartey said each household on the programme was supported on their level of poverty and the number of individuals with vulnerabilities.
She urged beneficiary families to use the funds wisely, encouraging them to prioritise household nutrition, children’s education and investment in small-scale income-generating activities.
“We also call on families to adopt a savings culture that aligns with their consumption needs and long-term household goals,” she added.
Context
The LEAP programme is a flagship initiative under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, with support from the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
The LEAP grant is paid bi-monthly, with varied amounts paid to households, depending on their number.
Each household on the programme is paid according to the programme’s eligibility criteria, including orphans and vulnerable children, elderly persons (65 years and above) without support, persons with severe disabilities who cannot work, extremely poor pregnant women and lactating mothers with infants under one year.
Source: GraphicOnline