How to resolve AdBlock issue? Ghana’s Social Protection: Hope Amid Gaps and Promises
Friday, 29 November 2024 | Ghana
Doe Kwesi Williams, a disabled man in his 60s, offers a glimpse into the challenges many Ghanaians face within the social protection system. Living in a small home in the Volta Region, Williams crawls from his room daily to catch sunlight, his broken wheelchair rendering mobility a struggle. Unable to afford food, he survives on green tea water and relies on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) for medical needs. Even that, he admits, is inadequate.
“I drink our local tea without sugar or milk to sleep because I don’t have money for food. But I know about all government social interventions,” Williams shares. “I only benefit from the National Insurance Scheme, and even with that, I feel shy to use it. Whenever I visit the hospital, they ask me to buy medicines, which I don’t have money to buy, so I feel shy to go to the hospital.”
Williams’ plight highlights systemic issues in Ghana’s social intervention programs, such as the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP). While these initiatives aim to assist the vulnerable, gaps in implementation often leave the most disadvantaged without support.
In Dzolo, a small community in the Ho West District, Assemblyman Mawufemor Adekpuitor points out inefficiencies in the LEAP program. He notes that individuals capable of supporting themselves often receive benefits, while the genuinely vulnerable, like Williams, are excluded. “The LEAP programme is good,” Adekpuitor admits, “but some of the people on LEAP are not supposed to be there. As an assemblyman, I try my best to get my people onto the program, but in the end, the ones who really need it are left out.”
The cumbersome registration process is another barrier, as many eligible individuals lack the knowledge or resources to navigate it. Since its establishment in 2008, LEAP has expanded significantly, with beneficiary households increasing from 116,000 in 2016 to 146,074 in 2017. The program provides bi-monthly cash grants, with amounts ranging from GH₵128 for a single-person household to GH₵848 for households with four or more eligible members in its 91st and 92nd cycles. Eligibility includes households with an elderly member (65+), orphaned or vulnerable children, or persons with severe disabilities.
While tied to conditions like birth registration, school attendance, and health check-ups, the program still struggles with accountability and effective targeting. Despite these challenges, LEAP remains one of Ghana’s most prominent social intervention initiatives.
As Ghana heads toward its December 7, 2024, general elections, social protection programs like LEAP have become central to political discourse. The National Democratic Congress (NDC), led by John Dramani Mahama, has proposed a comprehensive reform called the Big LEAP. This initiative seeks to extend benefits to urban poor households, introduce specialized projects for disadvantaged groups, and establish an Emergency Response LEAP Grant Programme in collaboration with disaster management agencies. It also includes plans for educational scholarships for children from LEAP households.
Meanwhile, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), under Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has pledged to establish a National Council on Persons with Disabilities and pass an Ageing Act to enhance care for the elderly. The NPP also promises to expand social assistance schemes to cover individuals not currently included under LEAP and provide geriatric training programs, nursing homes, and elder-specific rehabilitation services.
Despite these commitments, criticisms persist. Both programs face allegations of inefficiency, especially in targeting the truly poor. Ama Serwaa, the NPP’s Policy Lead on Gender and Social Protection, highlights digitalization as a potential solution to improve targeting and minimize resource misallocation.
While politicians debate reforms, the reality for people like Doe Kwesi Williams remains grim. Social intervention policies often sound promising but fail to meet the needs of those they aim to help. For individuals like Williams, the hope is not in manifestoes but in actionable reforms that bridge the gap between promise and implementation.
As the elections approach, Ghanaians will closely watch to see if these pledges translate into meaningful change. For now, Williams dreams of a future where social protection is not just a concept but a lifeline that reaches everyone in need.
“I drink our local tea without sugar or milk to sleep because I don’t have money for food. But I know about all government social interventions,” Williams shares. “I only benefit from the National Insurance Scheme, and even with that, I feel shy to use it. Whenever I visit the hospital, they ask me to buy medicines, which I don’t have money to buy, so I feel shy to go to the hospital.”
Williams’ plight highlights systemic issues in Ghana’s social intervention programs, such as the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP). While these initiatives aim to assist the vulnerable, gaps in implementation often leave the most disadvantaged without support.
In Dzolo, a small community in the Ho West District, Assemblyman Mawufemor Adekpuitor points out inefficiencies in the LEAP program. He notes that individuals capable of supporting themselves often receive benefits, while the genuinely vulnerable, like Williams, are excluded. “The LEAP programme is good,” Adekpuitor admits, “but some of the people on LEAP are not supposed to be there. As an assemblyman, I try my best to get my people onto the program, but in the end, the ones who really need it are left out.”
The cumbersome registration process is another barrier, as many eligible individuals lack the knowledge or resources to navigate it. Since its establishment in 2008, LEAP has expanded significantly, with beneficiary households increasing from 116,000 in 2016 to 146,074 in 2017. The program provides bi-monthly cash grants, with amounts ranging from GH₵128 for a single-person household to GH₵848 for households with four or more eligible members in its 91st and 92nd cycles. Eligibility includes households with an elderly member (65+), orphaned or vulnerable children, or persons with severe disabilities.
While tied to conditions like birth registration, school attendance, and health check-ups, the program still struggles with accountability and effective targeting. Despite these challenges, LEAP remains one of Ghana’s most prominent social intervention initiatives.
As Ghana heads toward its December 7, 2024, general elections, social protection programs like LEAP have become central to political discourse. The National Democratic Congress (NDC), led by John Dramani Mahama, has proposed a comprehensive reform called the Big LEAP. This initiative seeks to extend benefits to urban poor households, introduce specialized projects for disadvantaged groups, and establish an Emergency Response LEAP Grant Programme in collaboration with disaster management agencies. It also includes plans for educational scholarships for children from LEAP households.
Meanwhile, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), under Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has pledged to establish a National Council on Persons with Disabilities and pass an Ageing Act to enhance care for the elderly. The NPP also promises to expand social assistance schemes to cover individuals not currently included under LEAP and provide geriatric training programs, nursing homes, and elder-specific rehabilitation services.
Despite these commitments, criticisms persist. Both programs face allegations of inefficiency, especially in targeting the truly poor. Ama Serwaa, the NPP’s Policy Lead on Gender and Social Protection, highlights digitalization as a potential solution to improve targeting and minimize resource misallocation.
While politicians debate reforms, the reality for people like Doe Kwesi Williams remains grim. Social intervention policies often sound promising but fail to meet the needs of those they aim to help. For individuals like Williams, the hope is not in manifestoes but in actionable reforms that bridge the gap between promise and implementation.
As the elections approach, Ghanaians will closely watch to see if these pledges translate into meaningful change. For now, Williams dreams of a future where social protection is not just a concept but a lifeline that reaches everyone in need.