The Auditor General’s report has uncovered significant financial mismanagement within Ghana’s Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme, including payments totalling GH¢480,100 to deceased and ineligible beneficiaries.
According to the report submitted to Parliament on August 8, 2023, by Auditor General Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, the LEAP Management Secretariat (LMS) disbursed GH¢84,480 to caregivers of deceased beneficiaries. Additionally, GH¢396,620 was paid out to individuals who no longer qualified for the program due to improved socioeconomic conditions.
LEAP, a social protection initiative aimed at assisting the most impoverished households, needed to be improved in reassessment practices. However, it’s important to note that despite these challenges, auditors have noted positive impacts of the programme. Asiedu highlighted that failure to graduate or exit beneficiaries appropriately contributed to financial inefficiencies.
The audit, conducted from February to October 2022 across LMS and districts in three regions, also revealed LMS overspending of GH¢15,369,309.97, jeopardizing programme sustainability. The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MOGCSP) was criticized for inadequate fund utilization documentation. However, this criticism has prompted calls for improved accountability measures, which should reassure the public about the future of the programme.
Asiedu recommended that MOGCSP enhance record-keeping practices to ensure effective management of LEAP funds and mitigate financial risks
