The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has announced a major expansion of government’s flagship cash transfer programme, the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP).
Speaking at a community dialogue on social protection at the Teshie on Thursday, September 10, 2026, Dr. Lartey said government will increase LEAP coverage from 350,000 to 450,000 beneficiary households by the end of 2026 under a new initiative dubbed the *‘Big LEAP’.
“The Big LEAP is aimed at expanding coverage from 350,000 household beneficiaries to 450,000 by the end of 2026. It will cover more beneficiaries within the extreme poverty bracket,” the Minister stated.
She explained that under LEAP, vulnerable households receive direct financial support to cushion them against extreme poverty, and the expansion forms part of President John Dramani Mahama’s commitment to ensure no one is left behind in Ghana’s development agenda.
“At the heart of social protection is a simple but important principle: no individual or family should be left out without support because of poverty, vulnerability or circumstances beyond their control,” Dr. Lartey said.
According to her, government has over the years implemented interventions including the Ghana School Feeding Programme, National Health Insurance Scheme, Labour Intensive Public Works, Productive Inclusion and the Capitation Grant, which have improved access to essential services and supported children’s education.
She, however, noted that the interventions are only meaningful when they reach the intended beneficiaries, hence the need for community engagements to bridge information gaps.
“This community dialogue series is intended to bring government closer to communities, create space for citizens to share their experiences and ensure that concerns at the grassroots level inform policy,” she added.
Dr. Lartey disclosed that similar engagements have already been held in five Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies across the country, with Tema Metropolitan and Ledzokuku being the latest this week.
She emphasized that beyond informing citizens, the dialogues help government to listen, identify gaps in referral systems and address difficulties people face in accessing social protection services.
She also touched on persistent community challenges such as limited access to information, gender-based violence, child labour, human trafficking and illicit drug abuse, urging citizens to use the Ministry’s helplines and district social welfare offices to seek support.
“This engagement is particularly important because government cannot design and implement effective social protection interventions without listening to the people who are expected to benefit from them,” she said.
