More than 330,438 households receive LEAP grants – Minister of Finance

Company News on Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Source: ghananewsagency.org

2019-07-30

Ken Ofori-Atta, the finance minister, said the government had so far taken over 330,438 households across the country, focused on empowering livelihoods against poverty ( LEAP).

The number of beneficiary households is increasing relative to the 213,044 households reported in the 2019 budget, representing a percentage increase of 35.5%.

Ofori-Atta reported on Monday the mid-year budget policy review of the 2019 budget statement and the economic policy and supplementary budgets in Parliament in Accra.

He said that two regular payments cycles of LEAP were paid to households in June 2019, covering 1,420,883 extremely poor people.

Currently, he indicated that the program pays grants to beneficiaries every two months at the rate of 64.00 GHC for a household of one member, 76.00 GHC for a household of two members, 88.00 GHC for a household of three members and 106.00 GHC of four members. household and above.

The LEAP program, he said, has put in place a recertification and reclbadification strategy to wean beneficiaries whose situation has improved and who no longer meet the conditions to participate in the program.

Regarding the school feeding program, he said the program served about 2.6 million students in 8,676 elementary schools, with one meal per clbad day.

Ofori-Atta said that to improve the efficiency and management of the program, financial and operational controls were strengthened to reduce waste and improve links with local farmers.

Regarding the census of population and housing, he said that the year 2020 marked the tenth anniversary of the last census in the country and that the government had taken steps to organize the census of the population and of housing next year.

He added that the Statistical Service of Ghana had initiated a number of preparatory activities, including conducting the experimental census and mapping the enumeration areas in 130 of the country's 260 districts.

As a result of the exercise, he stated that 21,590 maps out of the 37,000 enumeration areas had been updated.

He added that the census mapping exercise is expected to be completed in September 2019 and that arrangements have been made for the acquisition of the required logistics and the recruitment of approximately 70,000 staff members. field for the main census.