LEAP: Recertification exercise kicks off 2019

The Gender, Children and Social Protection Ministry will from next year begin recertification of current beneficiaries of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP).

The exercise is part of plans to exit many of the current beneficiaries from the pro-poor social intervention.

LEAP is a social intervention with eligibility based on poverty and having a household member in, at least, one of three demographic categories – households with orphans or vulnerable children (OVC), the elderly poor, or persons with extreme disability and are unable to work.

One eligible member household receives GHC64.00, two eligible member household takes GHC76.00, while three eligible member household gets GHC88.00 and four and more eligible member household is given GHC106.00.

Since the implementation of LEAP, 10 years ago, none of the close to a million beneficiaries has exited the programme.

President Akufo-Addo recently called for an exit plan to ensure that beneficiaries are supported and weaned off the programme for new ones to be enrolled.

The Director of Social Protection at the Gender Ministry, Dr Rita Owusu Amankwa tells Starr New the recertification exercise will ensure a supported exit plan for the current beneficiaries to allow others to be enrolled onto the programme.

“From next year, for instance, those who have been on LEAP are going to go through re-certification system where we will recertify them. If you are okay and there is nothing you need again then we say bye bye to you. If you are on LEAP and you need to exit on LEAP we give you employable skills and small startup capital for you to set up your own business,” she said.

She added that “we will reach a point where we have those who are in extreme poverty who cannot work and who are maybe terminally ill and therefore need that kind of support then we can give them the support so that those who haven’t benefited can also be registered and given the benefit.”

She cautioned politicians to stay away from making political capital out of the intended exit programme to be implemented since it has nothing to do with politics.