LEAP COVERS 112,367 HOUSEHOLDS IN 3 REGIONS OF THE NORTH
Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Otiko Afisah Djaba has disclosed that the LEAP program covers 112,367 households in the three Northern Regions. According to the minister, out of the 112,367 households, Upper West had 38,133, Upper East 31,061 and with the rest 43,173 recorded in the Northern Region.
The program currently covers 254 districts nationwide with 213,044 beneficiary households. Government through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has improved the flagship social intervention. Ms. Otiko Djaba said the new direction for the LEAP program is in accordance with government’s vision of building Ghana beyond aid. “The LEAP program is designed with the understanding that poverty and vulnerability are multi-dimensional and therefore requires inter-sectoral stakeholder collaboration in order to make meaningful and sustainable impacts on its beneficiaries.” She noted that the objective of the program is to reduce extreme poverty and promote human capital development among LEAP beneficiaries through increased collaboration and linkages with other social services.
However, the Gender Minister, craved the indulgence of the various MMDCEs in the three Northern regions to encourage and support the Ghana Health Service Directorate in their respective assemblies to collaborate with the ministry through the LEAP programme to attend to the health needs of LEAP beneficiaries. She made this known during a one-day sensitization workshop for MMDCEs and MMDCDs from the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions held in Tamale.
The Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Sa-eed said, the LEAP program, since its inception, has chalked many successes in the three Northern regions by way of increased enrollment in schools, attendance and retention among children of LEAP households, improvement in health care service delivery for LEAP households which has increased NHIS coverage from 28% in 2010 to 52% in 2016. He added that, in spite of all the achievements chalked by the program, it has its own challenges.
Mr. Salifu Sa-eed indicated that, there are lots of misconceptions surrounding the program with some people speculating that the program is making people lazy and that less than half of the extremely poor population is covered under the program. He, therefore, urged all MMDCEs and MMDCDs to consolidate their success and help improve and propel the LEAP program to a higher pedestal. “It is important for all MMDCEs to work closely with stakeholders to address the challenges of the program.”
SOURCE: DAILY GUIDE PAGE 15, GHANAWEB.COM
Achaligabe Colson Akanbasiam (Mr) is the Head of Case Management of the LEAP programme. He has over 15 years working experience in both governmental and non-governmental organisations. He holds a Master of Philosophy Degree in Gender and Development (Norway) and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology with Political Science (Ghana).
Alhaji Lateef Mamudu is a senior civil servant and has Higher National Diploma (HND) in Accounting from Tamale Polytechnic and a Bachelors Degree in Accounting from Ghana Institute Of Management And Public Administration (GIMPA).
Thomas Boateng Quaison holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Information Studies from University of Ghana. He has undergone training on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) including Evaluation of Social Programmes at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Public Administration (MPA) at the University of Ghana Business School and Project Management Professionals (PMP) at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration.
Richard Azina Nartey joined the LEAP team in September 2013 as Assistant to the Head of Operations Unit, having previously worked as a Programme Officer on the National Social Protection Strategy at the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection. Richard worked with Youth and Women Empowerment (CSO) as Youth Coordinator, Project Manager and Executive Director.
Felix Kwaku Logah Felix Kwaku Logah is the head of operations for the LEAP Programme. He is the lead in planning and implementing LEAP Programme design parameters. He is responsible for targeting and enrollment activities. He is a professional Social Worker who holds Masters degree in Development Studies, Bachelor in Social Work and Clinical Psychology, Certificate in Public Heath all from University of Ghana, Legon. Trained in Designing and Implementing Social Cash Transfer in the Economic and Policy Research Institute, Cape Town -South Africa, Trained in Development Evaluation (IPDET) in Carleton University, Ottawa-Canada.
Dzigbordi Kofi Agbekpornu is the National LEAP Manager and is responsible for leading the team at LEAP Management Secretariat to achieve the Programme objectives. He also coordinates and manages programme activities across the country at regional, district and community levels.
Jeremiah Yanney is a City & Guilds of London Institute Certificate & Diploma holder in Microprocessors and Microcomputer Technology, Microsoft A+, Networking+ and (MCP) Microsoft Certified Professional, (MCSE) Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, FSK systems. He has specialized skills in Hardware, Networking, Systems administration, MIS consultancy, training, and a Certificate in Social protection (CSPS, University of Ghana).
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