MESW holds sensitization workshop for journalists

The Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare on Tuesday organised a day’s workshop to sensitise journalists to have a better understanding of the safety network under the National Social Protection Strategy (NSPS).

The NSPS is a Government of Ghana vision of creating an all inclusive and socially empowered society through the provision of sustainable mechanisms for the protection of persons living in situations of extreme poverty and related vulnerability and exclusion.

Mrs Brenda Laryea Adjapawn, Acting National Co-ordinator of NSPS said the strategy was formed on the principle that every Ghanaian matters and is capable of contributing his or her quota to national development if empowered.

She noted that the Ghana’s Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) was a flagship of the NSPS adopted to improve the basic consumption of beneficiary household, increase school enrolment, attendance and retention of children, improve access to basic health care and improve on livelihood income earned activities.

She said since its inception the programme had been funded by the government, whilst development partners such as the World Bank, UNICEF and the Department for International Department had provided support through technical assistance and institutional capacity building.

“Eligible beneficiaries consists of caregivers of orphanage and vulnerable children, elderly persons (who are) 65 years and above without and subsistence support, persons living with severe disability without any productive capacity.

Mr Mawutor Ablo, Director of Social Development noted that methods used in identifying the beneficiaries include geographical targeting, community based targeting, categorical targeting, proxy means testing and means testing community validation.

He said the targeting methods are to roll out the poor in the communities, reduce wastage, by concentrating the programme on the desired population, to focus on those who need the grants the most, to achieve the greatest impact.

Mr Ofori Addo, National Co-ordinator LEAP said the transfer amount of cash given to beneficiaries have to be sufficient to have the significant impact on their livelihood.

He said the basic grant for each eligible household currently ranges from GH¢ 8.00 to GH¢ 15.00, depending on the number of household members that meet the least one of the second level eligibility criteria.

Mr Addo said currently the project is covering 68,000 people, in 100 districts and is expected to reach 165,000 households by 2015.