Urban Complementary Livelihood Support Scheme launched

The Urban Complementary Livelihood and Assets Support Scheme (CLASS) has been launched in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.

It forms part of the second phase implementation of the $250 million Ghana Productive Safety Net Project (GPSNP), which commenced in 2022 and is expected to run till December 2025.

The CLASS programme is an intervention under the Productive Inclusion (PI) component that seeks to support poor households in establishing and managing Income Generating Activities (IGAs).

Whereas the CLASS under PI is expected to have 10,000 beneficiaries in urban areas, the Labour-Intensive Public Works (LIPW) is also expected to reach 15,000 beneficiaries in urban areas.

The GPSNP 2 is jointly being implemented by the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD) and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP).

Critical expansion

Launching the programme, the Upper East Regional Minister, Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, said the urban CLASS was a critical expansion of efforts to ensure that the unique challenge by urban communities was tackled.

He mentioned that urban families, like their rural counterparts, deserved opportunities to build skills, increase their incomes and secure sustainable livelihoods, adding:

“We are confident that this initiative will have a transformative impact on thousands of urban households in the region.

“Together, we will improve the livelihoods of urban households and enable them to contribute meaningfully to the economic development of the region and the nation as a whole,” Dr Salih stated.

In a speech delivered on his behalf, the Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, said the intervention signified stakeholder’s commitment towards broadening and enhancing social safety nets and ultimately uplifting impoverished communities across the country.

He said the Urban CLASS further demonstrated the government’s commitment to the agenda for job creation and leaving no one behind, adding, “The decision to extend PI and LIPW to urban areas is a clear demonstration of the government’s commitment towards ensuring that social protection is available to all persons irrespective of their location.”

He said that the ministry in consultation with the World Bank, as part of the roadmap towards the extension of CLASS coverage, had commenced the process to enrol beneficiaries in Ga South, Kassena Nankana Municipal, West Gonja Municipal, Tamale Metropolis, Savelugu, Yendi and Sagnarigu municipalities.

Extension

He stated that it intended to bring on board 13 municipal assemblies in the Greater Accra Region alongside identified municipalities, to ensure the attainment of 10,000 beneficiaries.

Mr Korsah indicated that it was estimated that a total of GH¢60 million would be disbursed in grants to the beneficiaries as they trained and committed to establishing enterprises that would grow and yield higher profits to ultimately guarantee incomes for beneficiary households.

The National Coordinator, GPSNP 2, Professor Prosper Basommi Laari, underscored the need for stakeholders to work together to ensure that beneficiaries received grants and accompanying support to enable them to expand their enterprises.

The Chairman of the Economic and Development Committee in Ghana’s Parliament, Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, said the committee would ensure that the programme addressed the issue of poverty among the beneficiaries.

The Paramount Chief of the Nangodi Traditional Area, Naab Pariyoung Kosom Yelzoya Asaga II, who chaired the event, said the success of the Urban CLASS would be dependent on the collaborative efforts driven by the shared commitment of all stakeholders towards poverty alleviation in the beneficiary areas.

Writer’s email: gilbert.agbey@graphic.com.gh