The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has introduced electronic payment for beneficiaries of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme.

The programme is a social intervention that involves the provision of cash transfer and health insurance to the poorest households in Ghana. It also targets people who have no alternative means of meeting their subsistence needs and people with limited productive capacity.

The programme, which started in 2008 with 1,654 beneficiaries’ household in 21 districts, has now been increased to 73, 043 households in 99 districts.

The electronic payment is also to ensure efficiency and reduce cost, and is being piloted in nine districts in seven regions with three companies namely MTN, Aya Technologies and Ghana Interbank Payment System Solutions.

Nana Oye Lithur, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection said the e-payment was in line with the global trend of technology usage, which made receiving, transacting and payment safer and easier.

She said challenges would be identify through the pilot programme and expressed the hope that the companies would work to address the challenges.

Nana Oye Lithur also observed and supervised the e-payment to the beneficiaries in the municipality.

She said the LEAP grants helped the beneficiaries to meet their basic needs, get access to education, health, food and provided them with capital in starting small-scale business ventures for sustainable income.

Nana Oye Lithur said LEAP helped Government to improve the lives of the citizens and increased socio-economic standards in the country.

She said the Ministry was committed to ensure that the vulnerable, excluded, aged and persons with disability could also contribute their quota to national development.

Nana Oye Lithur expressed her appreciation to the development partners, comprising Department for International Development, UNICEF and the World Bank for facilitating the programme.

Mr Peter Bimpeh, Leader of the MTN Group, educated the beneficiaries on how to use the phone in accessing or transacting any business.