LEAP Programme Under Fire: Over GH¢480,000 Paid to Deceased and Unqualified Beneficiaries
A recent report by the Auditor General has revealed shocking financial irregularities in the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme, a government-initiated social protection initiative.
The report shows that the LEAP Management Secretariat disbursed cash grants to 44 deceased beneficiaries, totalling GH¢84,480, and paid GH¢396,620 to beneficiaries who no longer qualified for the programme.
The Auditor General, Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, reported that the secretariat paid cash grants to caregivers of deceased beneficiaries in one-member households, resulting in the unqualified payments.
Additionally, the secretariat failed to conduct reassessments of LEAP beneficiaries, leading to continued payments to those who had improved their socioeconomic status.
The audit, conducted from February to October 2022, covered the period from 2017 to 2022 and revealed that the secretariat overspent funds by GH¢15,369,309.97, posing a risk to the programme’s sustainability.
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MOGCSP) was also criticized for poor record-keeping practices, which hindered accountability.
The Auditor General urged MOGCSP to enhance its record-keeping practices to improve accountability and ensure that funds are utilised effectively.
The report’s findings have raised concerns about the management and oversight of the LEAP programme, which aims to provide cash grants to vulnerable households to mitigate economic and social hardship.
