Conditional cash transfers as a risk management and poverty reduction strategy: a literature review and an assessment of barriers that hinder the full implementation of livelihood empowerment against poverty (LEAP) in Ghana

Abstract

Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) is the largest social intervention policy in Ghana directed mainly to the poor and vulnerable. Since its first implementation in 2008, the aim of the LEAP programme is the alleviating of poverty and help in risk management of the poor. However, the programme has been faced with a number of implementation barriers which has led to the programme being implemented differently from what the programme’s policy document stipulates. This has the tendency to affect the objectives of the programme. The aim of this work is to explore how the LEAP programme is supposed to be implemented and the barriers that affects the implementation process of the LEAP programme. The study will also examine how the implementation barriers may affect the risk management and poverty reduction strategies of beneficiaries of the programme, and the overall success of the LEAP programme. Data were collected through 36 personal interviews and two focus group discussion after selecting my informants through a combination of purposive sampling and snowballing. Findings from the study showed that there are differences in how the LEAP programme is supposed to be implemented and how it is being implemented. This is as a result of barriers that hinder the implementation process. The large informal sector and the lack of updated census, limited institutional capacity, low transfer amount, lack of vocational and technical training, lack of or limited information and education of the activities of LEAP, lack of coordination with service providers, limited resources and political influence were found to be the barriers in the implementation of the LEAP programme. These barriers may be seen to be having a negative impact on the implementation process of the LEAP programme and hence on risk management and poverty reduction strategies of beneficiaries.