Former Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, has accused the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) of politicising social protection programmes and has called for an end to this practice.

She says there are reports indicating that payments under the Social Protection programme had been delayed, and that beneficiaries were being told to vote for the NPP.

Mrs Addo emphasised that when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was in power, efforts were made to keep social protection interventions free from political influence.

Speaking on the JoyNews' AM Show, Mrs Bampoe Addo said, "There is a need to ensure that, to address and reduce poverty and to create that safety net and cushion for the poor and vulnerable in Ghana, there must be consistent, sustained payment of LEAP [Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty]. Every two months, a woman in Zabzugu, a woman in Bukom, or a widow or pensioner should know that they are going to receive their LEAP payment so they can plan around that. That is not happening."

The former minister stated that social protection programmes have been poorly managed, explaining that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government had access to the household register, which could have been used to identify and assist vulnerable people affected by the crisis.

She condemned what she said was the government's inability to efficiently distribute dry rations and prepared food in the heat of the lockdowns that attended the pandemic, calling the situation a major failure.

“So, we have retrogressed in terms of providing a safety net for the poor and vulnerable. As a result, you can see that poverty has increased, unemployment is now at 14.7%, and that has a direct impact on the livelihood of Ghanaians, contributing to the hardship they face.”