Finance Minister, Seth Terkper says government is putting measures in place to increase the number of beneficiaries under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty programme (LEAP) in 2016.

The programme which currently covers about 116,000 households across the country will be increased to 250,000 next year.

“Under the LEAP programme bi-monthly cash grants were disbursed to a total of 116,000 households in 180 districts across the 10 regions of the country.

“In 2016, government will improve the targeting of the LEAP while expanding it to cover 250,000 households”, Mr Terkper said during his presentation of the 2016 budget on the floor of Parliament Friday.

The LEAP programme was introduced to support extremely poor households to enable them meet their basic needs of survival.

So far, the programme has been seen as one that has contributed significantly to the well-being of beneficiaries.

Gender and Social Protection Minister, Nana Oye Lithur presenting cash to a beneficiary under the programme

A research conducted by the North Carolina University of the USA and Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana in 2012, indicated that the LEAP programme has improved the living conditions of the beneficiary households.

Mr Terkper says government will continue to invest in the project, adding that cash grant per head has been increased from 36 to 44 cedis.

He indicated that “under the LEAP 1000 projects, enrolment of an additional 6,006 beneficiary households was completed in seven and three districts in the Northern and Upper Regions respectively”.

With the new electronic approach adopted for the disbursement of funds to the beneficiaries, Mr Terkper is certain that all households that need support will be duly covered.

He said government has also launched a Child and Family welfare policy to ensure that welfare programmes are designed to prevent and protect children from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.

“These will complement programmes that provide shelter, care, counselling and education to orphans and vulnerable children”, he said.

Witch camps and leprosaria will not be left out of the welfare programmes being undertaken by the government, he said.