At the launch of the Social Protection Act, 2025, and the accompanying Regulations in Accra on 7 October 2026, UNICEF highlighted that linking Ghana’s Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme with the Productive Inclusion Initiative (PII) could reduce extreme poverty by 2.5 percentage points by 2030.
The organisation warned that social protection laws must translate into real support for vulnerable households, citing a young mother who, despite cash assistance, still struggles with food costs, health care, child care, skills training, education and employment.
UNICEF praised the Act’s emphasis on coordination and complementarity, noting that stronger links between programmes could address the multiple challenges facing families on the brink of poverty.
Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku‑Agyemang called on stakeholders to close gaps that limit access to social protection, while the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, led by Sector Minister Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, pledged to prioritise effective implementation and monitoring.
Dr Lartey said the ministry would make the laws accessible through clear language and local‑language translations, conduct outreach across regions and districts, and provide institutions with guidance, tools, reporting templates and training to ensure compliance.
She also announced plans to strengthen data systems for fair beneficiary targeting, improve governance of the social protection fund and establish accessible complaint channels that citizens could trust.
These frameworks are expected to improve the delivery of social protection programmes and help ensure support reaches the vulnerable people who need it most.
