The Auditor-General’s 2022 performance audit report on the administration of Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) states that the initiative has not been reviewed since its inception 14 years ago.
The initiative is designed to be reassessed every four years to justify whether a beneficiary should still be on the programme to ensure its sustainability.
However, the audit report has discovered that, as of 2022, the reassessment has not been done for fourteen years.
“To ensure that the programmeme is sustained, it is designed to be reassessed every four years to justify whether a beneficiary should still be on the ram. As of 2022, fourteen (14) years after LEAP’s existence, beneficiaries have not been reassessed to determine whether they still fall within the eligible criteria to stay on the programme or be removed.
In view of these, and in line with Sections 13e and 19 of the Audit Service Act 2000, Act 584, a performance audit was commissioned on the management of LEAP to ascertain whether the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MOGCSP) ensured that the LEAP Management Secretariat paid cash grants to only eligible beneficiaries and ensured other expenditures aside from cash grants were kept within the required limit.”
The report further revealed that the LEAP Management Secretariat (LMS) did not adhere to fund utilisation guidelines.
The failure to adhere to the guidelines resulted in expending more funds on running the programme than allowed, resulting in excess spending of GH¢15,369,309.97.
The report said, “We found that LMS paid cash grants to carers of deceased beneficiaries in one-member households, resulting in payments to 44 deceased beneficiaries amounting to GH¢84,480.00. We also noted that LMS did not conduct reassessments of LEAP beneficiaries 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¢396,620.00 to beneficiaries who no longer qualify to be on the programme.
LEAP Management Secretariat (LMS) did not adhere to fund utilisation guidelines, thus expending more funds on running the programmeme than allowed, resulting in excess spending of GH¢15,369,309.97 and risking the sustainability of the ram. Also, MOGCSP did not keep appropriate records on funds expended.”
As part of its recommendations, the report said, “We have made recommendations to LMS, the details of which are in this report, to bring about improvement in their activities.
We also recommended to MOGCSP that it improve its records-keeping regime to enhance accountability.”
The audit was carried from February to October 2022 at LEAP Management Secretariat and five districts of three regions covering the period from 2017 to 2022.
About LEAP
LEAP is a social protection initiative implemented by the Government of Ghana to provide cash grants to extremely poor and vulnerable households to alleviate economic and social distress.
Piloted in 2008 and in its 15th year, the programme targets vulnerable groups such as orphaned and vulnerable children, breastfeeding mothers, old people, and people with severe disabilities by providing bi-monthly cash payments to eligible households in various districts across the country.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana