The Auditor General’s report has revealed that the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Management Secretariat disbursed cash grants to 44 deceased beneficiaries, amounting to GH¢84,480.

Additionally, the report highlighted that GH¢396,620 was disbursed to beneficiaries who were no longer eligible for the program. 

The report raised concerns about the effectiveness and oversight of the LEAP initiative.

LEAP, a government-implemented social protection initiative, aims to provide cash grants to extremely impoverished and vulnerable households to alleviate economic and social hardships. 

The programme is designed to support those in dire need, ensuring they receive financial assistance to improve their living conditions.

The information was detailed in a transmittal letter from the Auditor General, Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, to the Speaker of Parliament on August 8, 2023. 

“We found that LMS paid cash grants to caregivers of deceased beneficiaries in one-member households, resulting in payments to 44 deceased beneficiaries amounting to GH¢84,480.”

“We also noted that LMS did not conduct reassessments of LEAP as required. Despite identifying positive impacts of the programme, LMS failed to graduate or exit beneficiaries even when their socioeconomic status had improved. This led to payments of GH¢396,620 to beneficiaries who no longer qualify to be on the programme,” the letter stated.

The disclosure has sparked calls for stricter monitoring and evaluation mechanisms within the LEAP program to prevent such issues from recurring.

The Auditor General noted that the audit was conducted from February to October 2022 at the LEAP Management Secretariat and five districts across three regions, covering the period from 2017 to 2022.