Fuo, Sagnarigu Municipality — The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has officially launched a nationwide monitoring exercise to oversee the enrollment and expansion of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme. This initiative aims to enroll 400,000 beneficiary households across Ghana, marking one of the largest social protection scale-ups in the country’s history.

Speaking at a press briefing and stakeholder engagement in Fuo on Wednesday, Honorable Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, described the initiative as the ‘Big LEAP’. She emphasized its goal to strengthen social protection delivery to vulnerable Ghanaians.

The Minister outlined four key objectives for her regional monitoring tour:

1. Assess operational efficiency and adherence to standardized beneficiary enrollment protocols.
2. Evaluate service delivery and the dignity with which field officers treat vulnerable applicants—including the elderly, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, and child-headed households.
3. Identify logistical and weather-related bottlenecks to facilitate swift remedial actions.
4. Mobilize stakeholder support to ensure a transparent and smooth onboarding process.

Dr.  Naa Momo Lartey noted that the current onboarding follows a comprehensive reassessment aimed at updating the LEAP register. This process is crucial for improving data integrity, ensuring equitable targeting of the extremely poor, implementing a graduation and exit strategy for households that attain resilience, and enhancing public accountability in the use of public funds.

The Minister highlighted that enrolling 400,000 new households is a significant step toward achieving Universal Social Protection. She described four anticipated impacts:

Direct poverty alleviation
Human capital development through increased school attendance and NHIS registration
Stimulation of local rural economies
Promotion of digital and financial inclusion via platforms like e-Zwich and mobile money
Mr. Mahmud M. Osman, the Coordinating Director for the Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly, expressed appreciation for the monitoring initiative. He thanked the Ministry and the government for increasing the number of LEAP beneficiaries in the municipality.

Beneficiaries present at the event also expressed gratitude, welcoming the opportunity to benefit from the programme.

The Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to accountability and social justice. “Social protection is not a charity; it is an investment in human capital, social justice, and national stability,” she stated. “We will ensure that every eligible household across this region and Ghana is onboarded with dignity and respect."

By Mahamudu Musah