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40 #ChangingLives<br />
#TransformingGhana<br />
#ChangingLives<br />
#TransformingGhana<br />
41<br />
President Mahama during a visit to the Weija Leprosarium<br />
Social Protection<br />
President Mahama remains<br />
committed to implementing policies<br />
aimed at cushioning the poor and<br />
vulnerable. Consequently existing<br />
social intervention schemes have<br />
been expanded to rope in more<br />
beneficiaries.<br />
New interventions have also been<br />
introduced. They include the<br />
following:<br />
1. EBAN Card<br />
A welfare card for the elderly (above<br />
65 years), the EBAN card, has been<br />
launched to offer priority access<br />
to public services such as health,<br />
transport, banking etc. A national<br />
rollout exercise to register 25,000<br />
elderly persons is currently underway.<br />
So far about 10,000 beneficiaries have<br />
been captured.<br />
2. Enhanced Livelihood<br />
Empowerment Against Poverty<br />
(LEAP)<br />
The LEAP program has seen<br />
exponential expansion. From 1,654<br />
beneficiary households in 2008, the<br />
programme now covers 116,000<br />
households. This represents an<br />
increase of 6,913.3% and translates<br />
into 522,000 beneficiaries. It now<br />
covers 4,072 communities in 188<br />
districts.<br />
A new category of beneficiaries known<br />
as LEAP 1000 has been added to the<br />
programme. This comprises extremely<br />
poor pregnant women and children<br />
under 5 years.<br />
It is aimed at addressing the incidence<br />
of malnutrition and stunting<br />
especially in the Northern, Upper<br />
East and Upper West Regions.<br />
So far 6,200 people have been<br />
registered under this scheme and are<br />
receiving cash transfers. Following<br />
the June 3 disaster, an emergency<br />
LEAP intervention programme was<br />
implemented under which GHC3.9<br />
million was disbursed to support<br />
10,274 households affected by the<br />
disaster.<br />
3. National Household Register<br />
(GNHR)<br />
The Ghana National Household<br />
Register has been set up to create a<br />
database of extremely poor people .<br />
The objective is to compile a database<br />
using scientific and accurate means to<br />
facilitate the planning and rollout of<br />
social intervention programmes.<br />
4. Social Protection Legislation<br />
Various pieces of legislation aimed<br />
at offering greater protection to<br />
vulnerable groups are being worked<br />
on. These include the Social<br />
Protection Bill which is currently<br />
being drafted. The following bills have<br />
been placed before Parliament for<br />
passage into law:<br />
•Property Rights of Spouses Bill<br />
•Intestate Succession Amendment<br />
Bill<br />
• Domestic Violence Regulations<br />
• Human Trafficking Regulations<br />
• Additionally, the Attorney-General’s<br />
Department is currently working on<br />
the following:<br />
• Aged Bill<br />
• Adoption Regulations<br />
• Amendment of the Children’s Act<br />
and Fostercare Regulations<br />
The Affirmative Action Bill will soon<br />
be submitted to cabinet for approval.
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