Electronic payment of LEAP beneficiaries helpful

The introduction of the payment system, which enables beneficiaries of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) receive their monies electronically has been hailed as a big relief.

Mr. William Ansah Kwakye, Ashanti-Akim Central Municipal Director of the Social Welfare, said it had brought significant improvement and made things simple.

He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the risks associated with officials travelling to the different communities to effect payment of the allowances were over.

He also labelled the manual payment process as “cumbersome and time consuming”.

There are 778 “poorest-of-the-poor” persons spread in 41 communities, who have been receiving support under this social intervention in the municipality.

Mr Kwakye said the Mobile Telecommunication Network (MTN), had given each of them a mobile phone so they could receive their stipends through the mobile money transfer system.

Reporters of the Agency had visited the area under STAR-Ghana’s sponsored media auditing and tracking of development projects, an initiative launched to put the spotlight on how government’s resources were helping to transform the lives of the people, particularly the rural population.

The goal is to aid transparency, promote accountability and good local governance.

Mr. Kwakye said there was now, greater efficiency and tremendous reduction of paper work.

He said the poor network service they initially had to struggle with had been resolved, while the beneficiaries were notified through the LEAP committees at the community level anytime payment was made.