LEAP Currently Serving Over 456,000 Households
Over 456,000 households, translating into about 1.7 million individuals nationwide, are currently benefiting from the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme.
Additionally, there are 2,174,000 pupils in 6,213 public basic schools nationwide, currently benefiting from the Ghana School Feeding Programme, while 13,816 prison inmates nationwide, have been rolled onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
The Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Gifty Twum Ampofo, said these in a discussion on Sunyani-based Space FM.
The Deputy Minister asked the traditional authorities and faith based organisations to develop strategies to track, monitor, and report on social interventions within their remits.
According to her, traditional authorities are to help “mainstream social protection into the activities and policies of the faith-based organisations and traditional authorities, adding that globally, social protection has proven to be a reliable tool for addressing poverty, vulnerability and exclusion, which Ghana has also adopted.
LEAP
LEAP, which started a trial phase in March 2008 and then began expanding gradually in 2009 and 2010, is a social cash transfer programme which provides cash and health insurance to extremely poor households across Ghana to alleviate short-term poverty and encourage long-term human capital development.
LEAP eligibility is 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 (PWD).
The government-funded programme receives support from the World Bank and the UK's Department of International Development.
Access to health insurance and education
About 90 per cent of the LEAP households have enrolled, at least, one member in the National Health Insurance Scheme.
This includes a 34 per cent increase among children under six years, and a 16 per cent increase among children from six to 17 years old.
The programme has increased slightly preventive care for children. LEAP households are more likely to report sicknesses in young children, although they are less likely to report sicknesses among older children.
The transfer enables household members to pay for ongoing prescription medicines for the elderly and infirm.
LEAP has increased school enrolment among secondary school children by 7 percentage points, and reduced grade repetition by children of primary and secondary school age.
Among primary school children, LEAP has reduced absenteeism by 10 percentage points. The increase in secondary school enrolment is limited to boys, while the increase in attendance is more pronounced for girls.
Beneficiaries perceive that child labour shrinks as enrolment and school retention increases.
Beneficiaries have reduced their borrowing, repaid debts more promptly, and given gifts or credit to others. LEAP households are considered financially reliable and thus creditworthy.
LEAP enables beneficiaries to spend more time working on their farms and hire outside labour.
RIPPLE EFFECTS
Every Ghana cedi transferred through LEAP has the potential to raise local an income by GH¢2.50, with non-LEAP households receiving most of the indirect benefit.
The largest positive effects would be on retail, with a multiplier of GH¢0.78.
The estimated income multipliers reflect a context in which payments are regular and predictable.
Irregular and low-value payments discourage consumption, however, the large lump-sum payment in February 2012 increased the tendency of LEAP households to save money and reduce their debt-activities that strengthened community networks and the social capital of LEAP households.
Local economy simulations suggest that if the LEAP could regularise payments, the spillover effects would be significant.
Measures to maximise such effects should target ineligible households, which provide goods and services in the local economy