Over 226,000 households graduated from extreme poverty after LEAP reassessment – Gender Minister

More than 226,000 households have graduated from extreme poverty following a comprehensive reassessment of beneficiaries under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme. The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, said the reassessment covered about 350,000 beneficiary households and was conducted using data from the National Household Registry. Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Wednesday, Mrs Lartey said the exercise had helped the government identify households whose socio-economic conditions had improved significantly.

“We completed a comprehensive reassessment of 350,000 beneficiary households. Using data from the National Household Registry, which has allowed over 226,000 households to graduate out of extreme poverty,” she said. She explained that the development had also necessitated an expansion of the LEAP programme’s approved beneficiary ceiling from 350,000 to 450,000 households.

“The programme ceiling has expanded from 350,000 to 450,000 households. New grant rates take effect this month,” she stated. Following the national reassessment, approximately 450,000 eligible households have either been retained or newly enrolled within the approved programme ceiling.

The Ministry began disbursing the first and second payment cycles for 2026 on Monday, September 14, 2026. The two payment cycles are being paid together, meaning each eligible household will receive twice its applicable bi-monthly grant amount during the current disbursement. New LEAP payment rates Under the new rates, households with one to two eligible members and a vulnerable member will receive GH¢392 per bi-monthly cycle, while households in the same category without a vulnerable member will receive GH¢380.

For households with three to four eligible members, those with a vulnerable member will receive GH¢474, while those without a vulnerable member will receive GH¢452. Households with five or more eligible members and a vulnerable member will receive GH¢630, while those without a vulnerable member will receive GH¢594 per bi-monthly cycle. Since the first and second cycles are being paid together, beneficiaries will receive twice the applicable amount for the current payment.

The Minister appealed to the media to help educate the public about the new arrangements and ensure that beneficiaries have accurate inform… The government is expanding the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme to cover up to 450,000 households, while introducing new grant rates for beneficiaries under the expanded programme. The exercise, she said, has helped identify households that remain eligible for support and those that have moved out of extreme poverty.