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Report by Edward FRIMPONG
As part of key considering measures to improve the LEAP (Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty) Programme, the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MoGCSP) with financial and technical support from the World Food Programme (WFP) initiated the ‘Digital Financial Literacy (DFL) & Productive Inclusion (PI)’ Project.
The Digital Financial Literacy & Productive Inclusion Project was initiated as part of the implementing processes of the findings and recommendations made from a study that revelead that LEAP beneficiaries, especially women, could benefit from alternative employment opportunities; but also at the same time were mostly disadvantaged and faced challenges with digital financial literacy (such as having formal training in accessing financial services, meeting the initial registration requirements for mobile money and bank account, etc…).
As such, the LEAP Management Secretariat (LMS) under the MoGCSP, together with the Ghana Productive Safety Net Project 2 (GPSNP2) Project Implementation Unit of the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development (MLGDRD) begun the implementation of the DFL & PI across four (4) selected districts as means of piloting.
The implementation design of the project among others sought to:
– Select appropriate beneficiaries.
– Train them on Income Generating Activities (IGA).
– Build capacity of beneficiaries on digital financial literacy.
– Disburse start up grants to beneficiaries.
Having fulfilled the prerequisites steps (selection, sensitization, training) of the project, the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection through the LEAP Management Secretariat, as part of implementation, effected the disbursement of start up grants to beneficiaries across selected districticts in early December 2023.
As a result, a total of Five Hundred and Sixty-Nine (569) female beneficiaries in selected communities in the South Tongu, Central Tongu, Saboba, and Builsa South Districts received their grants to start with economic ventures off the respective IGA trainings they received.
Some of the Income Generating Activities include: Groudnut Processing, Small Ruminant Rearing (Sheep/Goats), Gari Processing, Soap Making, Rice Parboiling, Guinea Fowl/Poultry Production, Palm Oil Processing, etc…
LEAP female beneficiaries through the project are being empowered and recognized as major stakeholders in the management of their households and development of their communities and the country at large.
It is worth noting also that the outcomes of the first phase effecticely guide the project towards achieving it objectives and enhance the successful implementation of the LEAP Programme in Ghana.
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