Effects of LEAP on Poverty Reduction of Beneficiary Households in Yama, Northern Region

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.