The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has stated that social protection must be seen not as a cost but as a strategic investment in human development and economic growth.

She made the assertion during a panel discussion at a Knowledge Exchange and Closing Event for Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme Phase Five (PSNP 5) in Addis Ababa, where policymakers, development partners, civil society organisations and social protection experts gathered to review progress and share lessons on strengthening inclusive safety net systems.

The forum focused on how social protection programmes can move beyond immediate relief to creating sustainable pathways out of poverty through productive employment, entrepreneurship and economic inclusion, particularly for women.

Speaking on the theme “Out of Poverty into Jobs: Advancing Women’s Economic Empowerment in Social Protection Programmes,” the Minister stressed that re-framing social protection as an investment was critical to reshaping policy priorities and outcomes.

Drawing on Ghana’s experience, she highlighted the role of the Ghana National Household Registry (GNHR) in improving the targeting of beneficiaries under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Programme. She explained that the use of GNHR data, supported by community validation and community-based targeting systems, has strengthened transparency in beneficiary selection while reducing both inclusion and exclusion errors.

The Minister further emphasised that effective social protection delivery depends on strong coordination among institutions. She cited collaboration between the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development to strengthen district-level coordination, as well as partnerships with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), which have enabled LEAP beneficiary households to be enrolled onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) through data-sharing arrangements.

She also disclosed that following a recent LEAP reassessment exercise, the Ministry engaged the Bank of Ghana to facilitate the temporary onboarding of eligible beneficiaries while steps are taken to secure Ghana Cards for those yet to be registered. According to her, the intervention was necessary due to the national requirement for Ghana Card registration to access financial services, in order to ensure that vulnerable households are not excluded.

On women’s economic empowerment, she described financial inclusion as a key driver of transformation from gender sensitivity to genuine empowerment outcomes. She noted that Ghana is increasingly integrating productive inclusion interventions into its social protection programmes to support women in establishing and expanding income-generating activities such as petty trading and micro-enterprises.

She also highlighted the need to address harmful social norms and cultural barriers that continue to limit women’s participation in economic life, stressing that such challenges undermine long-term empowerment efforts.

The Minister further outlined key achievements in Ghana’s social protection system, including the strengthening of the GNHR, ongoing reforms to the LEAP programme, and the passage of Ghana’s Social Protection legislation, which she said provides a stronger legal and policy framework for implementation.

Responding to a question from a participant from The Gambia on challenges related to identification systems for women in social protection programmes, she acknowledged that Ghana’s progress had come with challenges but said sustained institutional collaboration and partnerships had helped expand access to identification and social protection services.

She called for stronger African cooperation, increased investment in graduation-focused social protection systems, and continuous sharing of experiences and innovations to accelerate poverty reduction and women’s economic empowerment across the continent.

Ghana’s participation in the PSNP 5 Knowledge Exchange underscored ongoing efforts to build inclusive social protection systems that move vulnerable populations—particularly women—towards sustainable livelihoods and economic independence.

Social protection is an investment for human development and economic growth - Gender Minister

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