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Don’t delay payment of LEAP grants to beneficiaries – SEND Ghana
The Deputy Director of SEND Ghana, Dr. Emmanuel Ayifah, has appealed to the government not to delay the payment of cash grants to beneficiaries under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme.
He said the “consistent delay” in payment of the grant was worsening the plight of the beneficiaries hence government must take urgent steps to settle all arrears for 2021.
Dr. Ayifah, speaking in an interview with The Spectator, said there were delays in payment of the grant in January 2021 and that payments starting from April to August 2021 were still in arrears.
He said that, as a result of the delay in payment, some beneficiaries had resorted to borrowing, which was not “appropriate considering the financial standing of these vulnerable persons.”
“In 2019, SEND Ghana made a similar appeal to the government to pay the beneficiaries on time and our call was heard but, unfortunately, this same trend is occurring this year.
“The GH¢ 64 paid per household is already insufficient and the delay is worsening their plight. Some of them continue to live on the benevolence of others and this is a problem,” he noted.
For effective social protection delivery, Dr. Ayifah said government should, in the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy, consider establishing a fund to support and sustain social protection programmes.
“Apart from LEAP, it is important to provide funding for other social protection programmes in general. When the fund is established, other persons in the private sector may contribute to it just as they did for the COVID-19 fund,” he added.
Dr. Ayifah again identified lack of comprehensive data as one of the reasons social interventions did not reach “the right beneficiaries.”
He said available data indicated that there were 2.7 million extremely poor persons in the country but beneficiaries of social intervention policies such as LEAP were fewer than this figure.
He, therefore, urged the government to “focus on completing the Ghana National Household Registry” so there would be a comprehensive data on the number of poor persons in the country.
“Only five out of the 16 regions have complete data in the Registry. This means we are left with a lot more to be done,” he said.
SEND Ghana wants the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to fast-track passage of the social protection bill so that issues regarding social interventions and social protection could be effectively managed.
By Ernest Nutsugah
The Ghana Police Service has arrested three (3) suspects in connection with a case of possession of narcotic drugs and engaging in prohibited drug-related activities within the Accra metropolis.
On April 10, 2026, the Special Operations Assistant to the Inspector General of Police received intelligence that a group of individuals were planning to engage in the sale of suspected narcotic drugs at Dzorwulu in Accra.
A surveillance operation was mounted and on 11th April 2026, a Police team proceeded to the area and arrested two suspects, Bright Ayivor and Ifeanyi Ijeoba.
The suspects were found in possession of twenty-two (22) compressed substances suspected to be cocaine, which were being prepared for sale to a prospective buyer.
Further interrogation of the suspects led to the identification of a third suspect, Kwabena Botwe as a key figure in the drug trade.
A follow-up operation at Caprice resulted in his arrest after Police mounted surveillance during a planned transaction involving proceeds from the sale of the suspected drugs.
The suspect later led Police to his residence at Greda Estates, where a search resulted in the retrieval of an amount of GHc400,000 and a counting machine.
According to the police, during the operation, he attempted to bribe the arresting officers with an additional GHc420,000, which has been retained as evidence.
All the suspects are currently in Police custody assisting investigations and will be put before the court.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno, yesterday April 14, 2026, promoted seven officers of the Tema Regional Police Command to their next ranks for their role in a recent anti-robbery operation in Tema.
The promotions were awarded to officers who responded to a robbery attack on a Mobile Money vendor at Tema Community 5 leading to the shooting of two robbery suspects and the recovery of a firearm, ammunition, and other exhibits.
The officers promoted are Chief Inspector Enoch Nartey Nuer, Inspector Gershon Dekpey; Inspector Prince Asante; No. 45881 Sergeant Lukman Mohammed; No. 49900 Sergeant Eugene Kuudouru; No. 54157 Corporal Jerome Akator; and No. 59882 Lance Corporal Jonathan Sewurah.
The IGP, together with members of the Police Management Board (POMAB), congratulated the officers on their promotion and commended them for their courage, discipline, and commitment to duty.
The IGP urged the officers to view their promotion as a call to higher responsibility and encouraged all personnel to continue working with dedication and professionalism in the service of the nation.
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