Ghana increases coverage of LEAP assistance to 450,000 households

Ghana has expanded the coverage of its Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program to 450,000 households, implementing new cash transfer amounts since September 2026. The first two payment cycles of the year began disbursing together on September 14 to households selected following a national reassessment.

The new framework provides allocations ranging from 380 to 630 cedis per cycle, depending on household size and the presence of a vulnerable individual. Beneficiaries receive these transfers every two months, and the two cycles currently being disbursed are paid in a lump sum.

Ghana’s Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, stated that the program’s cap has increased from 350,000 to 450,000 households. The reassessment has helped identify households that remain eligible and those that no longer meet the poverty and vulnerability criteria.

According to the ministry, the program relies on data from the Ghana National Household Registry to better target the transfers. Households that have already been assessed but whose biometric registration is not yet complete will be gradually integrated into the program by the end of 2026.

Launched in 2008, LEAP provides regular cash assistance to households deemed extremely poor and vulnerable. The program is administered by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and covers all 261 metropolitan, municipal, and district areas of the country.