The Member of Parliament for Salaga South, Zuwera Ibrahimah Mohammed, has urged Parliament to pass the Social Protection Bill, 2025, to enhance the delivery of social services to vulnerable groups in Ghana.

Speaking during the second reading of the bill in Parliament on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, the MP emphasized its importance in addressing gaps in existing social intervention programs.

The proposed Social Protection Bill aims to provide a legal framework for social protection initiatives, targeting vulnerable populations such as persons with disabilities, the homeless, and those living in chronic poverty. It also seeks to establish a dedicated unit to manage the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program, ensuring accountability and transparency in its operations.

In her address to Parliament, Mohammed highlighted the bill’s comprehensive approach to identifying beneficiaries and its potential to streamline social interventions.

“To support and urge the House to pass this bill to streamline and facilitate the effective delivery of social services to vulnerable people in Ghana, Mr. Speaker, the bill seeks to outline the beneficiaries of social services and social interventions. The beneficiaries are quite comprehensive, including persons with disabilities, the homeless, and those chronically plagued by poverty, all of whom are considered in the bill,” she stated.

The MP underscored the significance of clauses 14 to 27, which propose the creation of a management unit for the LEAP program. She noted that the absence of a proper management mechanism has led to inefficiencies in the program’s implementation.

“Clauses 14 to 27 are particularly significant, as they establish a unit to manage the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program. This program has been in existence for some time, but due to the lack of a proper management mechanism, there have been numerous lapses and gaps. With the establishment of this management unit, the activities of LEAP will be streamlined to ensure accountability and transparency,” Mohammed said.

Concluding her remarks, the Salaga South MP called on her colleagues to support the Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection in passing the bill into law.

“Mr. Speaker, with these few words, I urge the House to support the Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection to pass this bill into law to enable the effective delivery of social services to the people of this country. Thank you very much,” she added.

The Social Protection Bill, 2025, was first presented to Parliament on June 27, 2025, but was withdrawn for revisions. The revised version was introduced and read for the first time on July 28, 2025, and was referred to the Committee on Gender, Children, and Social Protection for further review.

Processed under a certificate of urgency, the bill is a priority for the government, aiming to establish a Social Protection Fund and institutional arrangements to ensure sustainable financing and coordination of social protection programs.

The bill addresses long-standing challenges in Ghana’s social protection framework, including irregular fund disbursements and limited coverage for certain vulnerable groups. Stakeholders, including the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, have advocated for its passage to strengthen social safety nets amid economic challenges.

GA