IMANI Centre for Policy and Education has advised the government to aid beneficiaries of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme to be self-reliant.
IMANI says it would be better for LEAP recipients to establish themselves instead of receiving stipends from the government periodically.
The policy think tank instituted a research to ascertain beneficiaries’ experiences with social protection programmes for poverty reduction in Ghana, with LEAP in perspective.
Since the implementation of the programme, the number of household beneficiaries have risen from 1,645 in 2008 to cover 332,200 households in 2019.
Similarly, the government’s expenditure on the LEAP programme has increased from GHC 500,000.00 in 2008 to GHC 200,746,481.00 in 2020.
Although, these investments are expected to translate into reducing poverty levels, the programme has recorded mixed results.
It is upon this backdrop that IMANI selected some beneficiaries from the Sissala West, Kintampo South and Shai Osudoku districts across the three main belts of the country to assess the benefits beyond the desk assessments.
Speaking to Adom News on the sidelines of the programme to present the research findings to the media, Internal Consultant with IMANI, Dennis Asare said with as little as GHC 64.00 every two months, some recipients have set up small businesses to support themselves and their families.
Mr Asare expressed the need for the government to ensure these beneficiaries are secured with permanent source of income from their own merchandise, rather than relying on the government for meagre stipends periodically.
Meanwhile, Director of Social Protection at the Gender Ministry, Dr Rita Owusu-Amankwaah told Adom News government is introducing a Production Inclusion policy to establish some beneficiaries to phase them out of the LEAP programme.
She indicated the World Bank and the Department for International Development have provided some funds to that effect.
Dr Owusu-Amankwaah averred that the Production Inclusion will be implemented by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to connect LEAP and the Labour-Intensive Public Works to identify beneficiaries.