Paycode Ghana Limited, the Payment Service Provider supporting the ongoing Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) beneficiaries’ enrolment exercise, is deploying technology, trained field personnel and operational support to strengthen the registration of vulnerable households in Northern Ghana.
The initiative forms part of the government’s broader efforts, through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, to expand the LEAP programme and ensure that eligible households are properly identified, verified and enrolled.
The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, recently visited the Savelugu Municipality and Kumbungu District as part of a working tour of the Northern and North East Regions.
She was accompanied by members of the Ministry’s Advisory Board and other officials.
Government Targets 400,000 Additional Households
The Ministry is targeting an additional 400,000 vulnerable households for inclusion in the LEAP programme nationwide.
During her visits, Dr Lartey inspected registration centres to assess the efficiency of the exercise, identify challenges confronting applicants and field officers, and evaluate how residents were being received.
She emphasized the need for vulnerable applicants to be treated with dignity and respect throughout the registration process.
Exercise Targets Ghost Beneficiaries
A major objective of the nationwide exercise is to reassess existing beneficiary records and improve the reliability of the LEAP database.
According to the Ministry, updated household information will help identify and remove ghost beneficiaries while reducing errors that could either admit ineligible persons or exclude qualified households.
The reassessment will also determine whether some existing beneficiaries have achieved sufficient economic stability to graduate from the programme.
Such graduation, the Ministry explained, would create space for other families facing severe financial hardship to receive government support.
Paycode Assures Beneficiaries of Security
Mr Kojo Adubofuor, a Director of Paycode Ghana, earlier explained the security measures associated with the beneficiary cards.
He said after a beneficiary’s card has been verified in the system, the individual would only require a thumbprint to access the service.
However, he advised beneficiaries to always keep their cards with them as an additional security measure.
Mr Adubofuor also assured beneficiaries that if a card is misplaced, the replacement card would carry the same consistent identification number issued to the beneficiary.
He reaffirmed Paycode Ghana’s commitment to working with the Ministry and other stakeholders to ensure that no eligible household within its assigned operational areas is excluded because of distance, technology or logistical challenges.
Traditional Leaders Support Exercise
As part of the monitoring tour, Dr Lartey paid courtesy calls on the Chief of Savelugu, Yoonaa Abdulai Yakubu, and the Chief of Kumbungu, Gbullung Naa Musah Surani.
The engagements were aimed at strengthening cooperation between government, traditional authorities and local communities during the registration exercise.
Traditional leaders are expected to play a key role in mobilising residents, improving public understanding of the LEAP programme and helping authorities identify vulnerable households within their communities.
Minister Engages Local Government Authorities
The Minister and her delegation also held discussions with the Savelugu Municipal Chief Executive, Alhassan Fuseini, and the Kumbungu District Chief Executive, Imoro Yakubu Kakpagu.
The discussions focused on coordinating the registration process and ensuring that national implementation guidelines are effectively applied at the local level.
The Ministry stressed the importance of collaboration among district assemblies, social welfare officers, community leaders and registration teams to ensure that the programme reaches its intended beneficiaries.
Updated Data to Improve Access to Services
Dr Lartey said the exercise would provide benefits beyond the immediate cash assistance offered under LEAP.
The alignment of beneficiaries’ biometric information is expected to simplify registration with the National Health Insurance Scheme, improve school enrolment among children in rural communities and make it easier for households to access other social protection services.
Regular cash support could also stimulate economic activity in remote communities as beneficiaries spend their funds on food, healthcare, education and other essential needs.
Paycode Ghana says its role goes beyond providing payment technology, with the company supporting the end-to-end beneficiary onboarding process and responding to technical and operational challenges faced by field teams.
The partnership is expected to contribute to a more inclusive, accountable and technology-enabled social protection system, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that eligible vulnerable households are properly enrolled and can receive government support securely and conveniently.
Story by Stephen Kwaku Owusu Mintah — Ahotoronline, Accra.