LEAP Is Not Collapsing -Gender Minister Nana Oye Lithur

Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur, has disproved reports that Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program me, is failing contrary to reports that the social intervention programme, is on the verge of collapsing.

Speaking on Onua Fm’s Morning show ‘Ye Sempa’ Gender Minister noted that it would be factually incorrect for anybody to claim that LEAP, is collapsing when the same programme is adjudged the best performing social intervention for 2016 with an A+.

“Those who are saying LEAP is not doing well cannot be right, in fact that program has been ranked A+ so how can someone sit somewhere and claim that LEAP is collapsing, it is not true. We have turned our social intervention programs around and they are all doing remarkably due to collective effort from us” Nana Oye Lithur, told Bright Kwesi Asempa.

An Economist and lecturer at the Kumasi Polytechnic, Thomas Kusi Boafo, is reported to have said Government was smothering Ghanaians with what he called ‘killer’ policies which will eventually cripple the economy.

According to him, all indicators attest to the fact that the economy is getting worse every day saying policies like LEAP are being used by the incumbent government in maximizing votes.

Kusi Boafo, added that it is dangerous for government to inject monies onto LEAP, noting the number of beneficiaries surpasses the working class of the country.

But Gender Minister, insisted that all social intervention programmes under the ambit of her ministry, have seen one form of improvement or another.

“As we speak, since we took over the School Feeding Program from the Ministry of Education, government has been able to save close to 24 million Cedis as a result of our sound policies we have started implementing, workers under the School Feeding now are being paid electronically and this has eradicated malpractices”.

YES, I AM STRICT
On widely view held by many that she is strict with those who work with her, she said, “Yes they are right, I am strict with what I do, and that is what is giving us the results, turning around performance of the Ministry and I am happy to tell you that so long as the Ministry is delivering on
its mandate, I will accept that assertion”.

She maintained that, due to what people considered as her strictness, school children who are on the school feeding program can now enjoy good meal, those who are beneficiaries of LEAP are now being served promptly, those in Orphanages can now smile and Prisoners can now hold NHIS cards, as well as the aged can now enjoy free rides and good health care, “so yes I am going to be strict,” she added.