Kukuo witches camp residents appeal for support

Elderly women living at the Kukuo Witches Camp in the Nanumba South District have appealed to the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, to restore their benefits under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme after they were reportedly removed following a recent reassessment.

According to a report by citinewsroom.com on July 19, 2026, the women say they have not received LEAP payments for several months, leaving them without a critical source of financial support and worsening their already difficult living conditions.

Many of the elderly residents of witches' camps across Northern Ghana were accused of witchcraft and forced to flee their communities, while others have been abandoned by their families. As a result, they largely depend on charitable organisations and well-wishers to meet their daily needs.

For years, the government's LEAP programme provided quarterly cash grants to vulnerable persons, including many of the women at the Kukuo Witches Camp, helping them buy food and other basic necessities.

However, following a nationwide reassessment of LEAP beneficiaries in 2025, which was aimed at ensuring the programme reached eligible recipients, several women at the camp say they were removed from the scheme.

According to the residents, no beneficiary at the camp has received LEAP support for months, making it increasingly difficult for them to survive.

One of the women, speaking to Citi News, appealed to the government to reinstate the payments.

"They used to give us LEAP support for we the elderly women and it was helping us a lot. But for some months now, we do not know what is going on, the support no longer comes and life has been challenging for us. We are appealing for it to be restored," she said.

The Assembly Member for the Kukuo Electoral Area, Issah Abdul Aziz, also called on the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to conduct a special re-registration exercise for residents of witches' camps, particularly those at Kukuo, to ensure that no eligible beneficiary is left out of the programme.

He said many of the women remain among the country's most vulnerable citizens and require continued social protection.

In the absence of government support, non-governmental organisations have continued to provide relief to the camp.

One such organisation, the Songtaba Group, has regularly donated food items and other essential supplies to the women.

The Executive Director of Songtaba, Hajia Lamnatu Adam, said the organisation's interventions have become increasingly necessary because of the vulnerable circumstances of the camp's residents.

She also renewed her call on President John Dramani Mahama to assent to the Anti-Witchcraft Bill once it is passed by Parliament, describing the legislation as an important measure to safeguard the rights and dignity of women accused of witchcraft.