The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has held a preparatory meeting for officers ahead of a nationwide exercise to assess and monitor the first and second cycles of Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) cash grant payments.

The monitoring exercise, scheduled to take place over the next two weeks, will cover LEAP beneficiaries across the country.

The preparatory meeting was aimed at equipping officers with the necessary guidance ahead of the field exercise, including training on a revised monitoring questionnaire and the handling of case-management issues that may arise during the exercise.

Key areas covered included beneficiary reassessment and enrolment, payment systems, beneficiary quotas, data quality, payment instruments and grievance handling.

Officers were also guided on how to respond to concerns raised by beneficiaries, properly document cases and refer issues through the appropriate LEAP and Social Welfare structures for further action.

Particular attention was given to payment-card and data-related challenges, including name mismatches, incorrect beneficiary records and inconsistencies in payment information.

The meeting also stressed the importance of consistent communication during the monitoring exercise.

Officers were encouraged to provide beneficiaries with accurate information, manage expectations and avoid making commitments on matters that require policy-level decisions.

The monitoring teams are expected to work through established case-management and Single Window structures to facilitate the effective resolution and follow-up of cases identified during the exercise.