LEAP benefits increase by 100%

Beneficiaries of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme across the country have started enjoying a 100 per cent increment of their allowances.

With the upward adjustment, one-member households which received GH¢64 will now receive GH¢128, while two-member households would receive GH¢152 instead of the previous GH¢76.

Three-member households will get GH¢178 instead of GH¢88, while households with four or more members will be paid GH¢212 instead of the previous GH¢106.

As part of measures to ensure the successful disbursement of the grants, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Lariba Zuweira Abudu, last Saturday toured some disbursement centres in the West Mamprusi Municipality in the North East Region to monitor the exercise.

She inspected the disbursement exercise at Gaagbini and Nayorku where about 278 beneficiaries have been enrolled on to the programme.

Economic condition

Speaking to the media, Hajia Lariba stated that the grants had been increased by 100 per cent in response to the prevailing global socio-economic crisis.

That, she said, would help to ameliorate the condition of the people and enable them to live meaningful lives.

While highlighting the worsening impact of the global economic crisis on the lives and livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable, Hajia Abudu reiterated the government's commitment to address the challenges to improve the lives of the people, particularly the vulnerable.

She indicated that efforts were underway to increase the enrolment of the beneficiaries nationwide, adding that "in the West Mamprusi Municipality alone, there are about 6,417 beneficiaries, and we are working around the clock to increase the number".

She admonished the beneficiaries to invest the funds into meaningful ventures to enable them to take care of their dependents.

Appreciation

The Chief Executive of the West Mamprusi Municipal Assembly, Issahaku Aremeyaw Somo, lauded the government and the ministry for the upward adjustment of the grants, and said it would go a long way to improve the lives of the beneficiaries.

Some of the beneficiaries who spoke to the Daily Graphic expressed gratitude to the government for the gesture, and pledged to use the grants to establish small ventures to support them in the upkeep of their families.