Abstract:
Ghana has ratified international conventions and has passed national legislations,
which compel government to observe and find practical expression for the civil and
political rights as well as the economic, social and cultural rights of its citizens. In
accordance with these legal requirements, Ghana has drafted and is implementing a
National Social Protection Strategy (NSPS) aimed at protecting its vulnerable
population. A major component of this strategy is the Livelihood Empowerment
Against Poverty Programme (LEAP). LEAP is a direct cash transfer targeted at the
bottom 10% poor of Ghana’s population.
This study was conducted in Yama in the West Mamprusi District of the Northern
Region with the objective of investigating the effects of LEAP in reducing poverty of
beneficiary households and to highlight the opportunities and challenges of the
programme. The study is a purely qualitative research. It combined secondary
literature and primary data collected through Participatory Learning Approaches.
The results of this study showed that LEAP in Yama does not give the intended
benefits to beneficiary households. There was general lack of knowledge of the
program by beneficiaries. It was also fraud with operational difficulties including lack
of human and financial resources. Findings of the study are intended to contribute to
knowledge base of social protection and to bring to bare some of the challenges of
LEAP while providing recommendations.
