antees the accuracy and integrity of payment

related data as well as the credibility of the

programme. Through the e-payment systems,

beneficiaries have been able to save consid-

erable amounts on their E-Zwich cards at an

interest. The introduction of the e-payment

system in LIPW delivery is one of the major

feats of the programme.

As is the case with most Social Protection interventions, a

major concern in the delivery of the LIPW programme under

GSOP is ascertaining whether indeed the earnings of benefi-

ciaries end up in the pockets of legitimate beneficiaries. To

address this concern, the programme in 2014 introduced an

electronic payment system where beneficiary earnings are

delivered through a digitized electronic-payment platform (E

-zwich). In this approach, prior to the commencement of work,

eligible beneficiaries are registered biometrically by captur-

ing each person’s thumbprints and other bio-data, after

which they are issued with an electronic smart cards (E-zwich

card) which serves as a means of accessing their earnings.

During the work session itself, data on participants’ attend-

ance and participation in the works is captured at the vari-

ous work sites by persons designated as Community Facilita-

tors who in turn transmit this data to the implementing District

Assemblies, where it is reviewed and uploaded into the

Project MIS database. Once uploaded, the data which is

processed into a payroll is delivered to the Ghana Inter-

Bank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS) who in turn

review this data and load the smart cards of beneficiaries

with their wage entitlements. GhIPSS then sends an advice

in the form of cash-out reports to relevant Participating

Financial Institutions (PFIs). Upon receipt of the report, the

PFIs move into the communities to provide cash out services to

beneficiaries. During LIPW cash-out sessions, each benefi-

ciary is validated by his/her thumb and it is only when one is

confirmed as the true and legitimate holder of an E-Zwich

card slotted into the Point of Sales (POS) device that pay-

ment is allowed. This process has to a large extent eliminat-

ed wage and benefit payment related ills such as the phe-

nomenon of “ghost names”, payroll fraud, delayed pay-

ments, renting seeking by third parties and ultimately guar-

Feeder Road sub-project and the Zesiri Dugout site.

At each of the sites, the Country Director had the

opportunity to interact with beneficiaries and other

local level actors and in each of these interactions, he

advised the beneficiaries to apply their earnings to

useful ventures and also ensure that they take good

care of the assets that would eventually be provided.

The team also had the opportunity to observe soap

and shear butter production in Denugu, one of the

beneficiary communities of the Japan Social Devel-

opment Fund (JSDF) complementary income earning

intervention which is being implemented under GSOP.

Mrs. Adwoa Asotia Boakye, the Regional Coordina-

tor responsible for the Bolga operational area ex-

plained that the JSDF intervention, which is a produc-

tive inclusion scheme being piloted under the project,

is aimed at ensuring a permanent and sustainable

exit of LEAP & LIPW beneficiary households from

conditions of extreme poverty. She also touched on

other related strategies being explored by the Pro-

ject such as engagement with the Fisheries Depart-

ment on the possibility of introducing fish farming in

GSOP dugout/small earth dam communities as a

means of meeting the nutritional needs of the commu-

nities in question and also as an alternative livelihood

activity. In an interaction with the DCE of Garu Tem-

pane District Assembly, Hon. Albert Akuka Alalzuuga,

and his team of officers, Mr. Kerali commended the

Assembly for the great sense of ownership shown in

relation to the LIPW and JSDF interventions and

challenged the District to consider extending similar

support to other communities within their jurisdiction.

NO GHOST NAMES WITH LIPW E-PAYMENT SYSTEM

The World Bank Country Director responsible for Ghana,

Sierra Leone and Liberia, Mr. Henri Kerali, has visited

GSOP LIPW Communities in the Garu Tempane District of

the Upper East Region. The visit which was part of the

Country Director’s recent working visit to the Northern and

Upper East Regions to monitor World Bank funded Projects

in that part of the country came off on the 8th - 9th of No-

vember 2016. On arrival, the Country Director first paid a

courtesy call on the Regional Minister,

Hon. Albert Abongo (MP). In his welcome

statement, the Regional Minister com-

mended the Bank for its support in im-

proving the living conditions of the peo-

ple in the Region. He particularly men-

tioned investments in the Water & Sanita-

tion, Land Administration and Poverty

Reduction sectors as significant invest-

ments and urged the Bank to expand

these programmes to cover a lot more

people in the Region. On his part, Mr.

Robert Austin, the National Coordinator

of GSOP recounted some of the positive

results that had been achieved under the

GSOP Project in particular, the Public

Works programme that had at the time

provided temporary employment to over

160,000 extreme poor persons - majority

of whom are in the UER; the LEAP Pro-

gramme’s effort at expanding coverage

to 250,000 households and the progress

so far made on the Ghana National

Household Registry initiative. He used

the occasion to appeal to the Bank to consider

increasing funding for the Project to enable it reach

a lot more beneficiaries. The Country Director and

his entourage then travelled to the Garu Tempane

District where they had the opportunity to visit three

LIPW sites. These include; a 5ha LIPW Mango Plan-

tation at Targanga, the 4.7km Kugri-Vambara

GSOP LIPW NEWS

WORLD BANK COUNTRY DIRECTOR PAYS A WORKING VISIT TO THE GSOP LIPW SITES AT

GARU TEMPANE DISTRICT

THE QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF THE GHANA SOCIAL OPPORTUNITIES PROJECT

☼LIPW Impact Evaluation 2

☼ LIPW Beneficiaries - Page 3

☼ LIPW Beneficiary Testimonies

☼ Social Accountability Forum -

Page 4

☼ NPSC meets beneficiaries at

Upper West Region - 4

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

2

Mr Henri Kerali, World Bank Country Director, Ghana , Sierra Leon and Liberia

LIPW Biometric Verification

GSOP LIPW NEWS Page 2

ISSER LIPW IMPACT EVALUATION REPORT CORROBRATES CALLS FOR NATIONAL ROLL OUT OF LIPW

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Devel-

opment (MLGRD) has disseminated the findings of

the 2015 Impact Evaluation of the Labour-Intensive

Public Works (LIPW) programme. The Impact As-

sessments was carried out by the Institute of Statis-

tical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER). The

results were disseminated at the Second Social

Protection Dialogue which was convened by the

Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection

(MoGCSP) on 21st November 2016 at La Palm

Royal Beach Hotel in Accra. LIPW is one of the five

flagship social protection interventions in Ghana as

enshrined in the National Social Protection Policy.

The other interventions are the Livelihood Empow-

erment Against Poverty (LEAP), Ghana School

Feeding Programme (GSFP), National Health Insur-

ance Scheme (NHIS) and Capitation Grant. LIPW is

an active labour market programme that seeks to

provide targeted poor rural households with access to local employment and income-earning opportunities; protect households and communities against external shocks and in the process rehabili-tate and improve productive social infrastructure. Since its inception in 2010, LIPW has provided short-term employment for over 166,000 extreme poor persons (61% women) in 60 most deprived districts and transferred over GHS 74,000,000.00 to them as wage earnings. The programme has in the process rehabilitated 200 Feeder Roads, 192 Small Earth Dams, and over 2015ha degraded community lands through 94 Climate Change/Biodiversity Conservation activities and Social Infrastructure. In a statement read on his behalf, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hon Collins Dauda indicated that the LIPW has met its direct short-term objective of offering employment and reasonable amounts of

money as wages to the rural poor.

Child Food Security

Education

Health Return Migration

Crop Production

He also expressed his satisfaction with targeting

methodology being employed by the project; which

has ensured that 87% of beneficiaries are extreme

poor persons. The Minister therefore advocated the

mainstreaming and scaling-up of the LIPW to cover

all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies

(MMDAs) within the country. The finding of the Impact

Evaluation which was presented by Dr. Issac Osei-

Akoto indicated that the programme have had a

positive impact on employment and paid jobs, food

crop production and child hunger, health, education

and return migration. On her part, Madam Kathleen

Beegle, Team Leader, Human Development of the

World Bank commended the project implementation

teams for both LIPW & LEAP for the successful roll out

of the two programmes. Madam Susan Namondo

Ngongi, Country Representative of UNICEF who was

also at the event expressed similar sentiments. The

two indicated the readiness of their respective institu-

tion to partner with government in deepening

social protection in Ghana. The Minister of Gen-

der Children and Social Protection, the convener of

the Dialogue stressed the critical role of Social Pro-

tection programmes in eliminating extreme poverty.

She mentioned that 213,000 beneficiaries have been

enrolled under the LEAP programme in all 216 dis-

tricts of the county and all these beneficiaries have

been registered under NHIS for free. Dr. Grace

Bediako Technical Advisors to the National Devel-

opment Planning Commission (NDPC), who chaired

the event associated herself with the comments made

by the previous speakers and emphasized the

need for long-term planning to ensure sustainability

of the two programmes.

Employment

Income

LIPW INTERMEDIATE OUTCOMES @ DECEMBER 2016

LIPW met its direct short-term objective of

offering employment and reasonable amount

of money for the rural poor during the

agricultural off-season

NO INTERMEDIATE OUTCOMES ACHIEVEMENT

1 Number of person days of employment provided 11,582,737

2 Number of unskilled workers employed 166,561

3 Total amount paid to unskilled labour 74,737,336

4 Earnings of unskilled workers as % of total investment 54%

5 Number of females employed as % of total number of unskilled workers employed 61%

6 Number of feeder roads rehabilitated 200 (795.32 km)

7 Number of small earth dams and dugouts (SEDD) rehabilitated 192 (21235414.49 cubic metres)

8 Number / Area of woodlots and fruit trees completed 97 (590.97 hectares)

9 Number of practitioners (engineers and technicians) trained and deployed 1,073

10 Average earnings per season 448.71

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“My name is Monica Daani

and I am a physically chal-

lenged LIPW beneficiary from

Nakwabi in the Sawla-Tuna-

Kalba District of the Northern

Region. Life has been chal-

lenging since my left leg was

amputated. Thankfully GSOP

engaged me and other seven-

ty poor persons in my commu-

nity to rehabilitate a 5ha com-

munity degraded land through

the cultivation of fruit trees. At

the end of the month, we re-

ceive our monthly wages

through the electronic payment

system (E-Zwich). LIPW is disability friendly in a sense that I was assigned tasks within

my abilities. Currently, I work as a time keeper and I am responsible for marking daily

attendance for onward transmission to the District Assembly for further action. I have

also taken it upon myself to monitor the young plants to ensure their survival. I enjoy

every bit of my work, thanks to GSOP”.

Abubakari Alhassan

is an LIPW benefi-

ciary. He and some

members of his com-

munity were en-

gaged to rehabili-

tate a Dugout and

cultivate a 5ha Cli-

mate Change sub-

project at Nasamba

in the Nanumba

North District of the Northern Region. Prior to the introduction of

the LIPW programme in his community, Abubakari was unem-

ployed. With his LIPW earnings, he has bought a digital camera

which he is using for photography business to support his family.

He has also bought some goats to keep. Thanks to GSOP.

CREATING INCOME EARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY

Emmanuel Tokora is an LIPW

beneficiary from Dakpam in

the Nanumba North District

of the Northern Region. Em-

manuel used to harvest about

300 tubers of yam annually.

His income was meagre and

his family suffered during the

raining season because he

could not afford to roof his

house. Today, thanks to

LIPW, he is able to hire la-

bour (additional hands) to

work on his farm and as a result he now harvests over 1,000 tubers.

This has enabled him to roof his house and also purchase a motorbike.

Cecilia Kofi is an LIPW Beneficiary from Juo

Tinanjera in the Nanumba North District of

the Northern Region. Commuting from her

community to other areas was a big chal-

lenge, especially for pregnant women.

Cecilia and other members of her communi-

ty were engaged in February 2016 to

rehabilitate the 2.0km Juo Tinanjera Feeder

Road. At the end of the month, they received

their wages through the E-Zwich electronic pay-

ment system. Though the work is still ongoing, it is

now convenient and safer for the women to travel

to the health facility to access maternal health

care. Through her LIPW earnings, Cecilia has

been able to buy a bicycle which she rides all by

herself to other communities for business and

other purposes. “We are really grateful to

GSOP for rehabilitating our road” (Cecilia Kofi).

PROMOTING FOOD CROP PRODUCTION AND MICROENTERPRISE THROUGH LIPW

Page 3

“our road is now safe for women to travel

to the health facility to access maternal

LIPW BENEFICIARY TESTIMONIES

“LIPW is disability friendly, I was assigned

tasked within my abilities”

IMPROVING MATERNAL HEALTH THROUGH LIPW INFRASTRUCTURE

District in the Upper West Region on 23rd

November 2016 and this was intended as a

precursor to the twenty-first NPSC meeting

scheduled for the Regional Capital Wa. The

NPSC team thus visited the Poyetanga Dugout

and Chogsia Junction to Chogsia Feeder Road

(3.6km) LIPW sites which had a workforce of

171 and 108 persons respectively. As part of

the visit, members inspected on-going works on

both sites and also interacted with beneficiar-

ies and other actors including the supervision

gang and community leaders. During the inter-

action, beneficiaries thanked the GSOP team

for increasing their daily wage from GHS 7.00

to GHS 8.00, the payment of which they said

has improved significantly following the intro-

duction of the electronic (E-

Zwich) payment system. They

also confirmed that they are

provided with Personal Protec-

tive Equipment (PPEs) such as

nose-masks, gloves and other

protective gear and First Aid

Kits. The women among the

workforce particularly ex-

pressed satisfaction with the

makeshift crèches and care-

givers provided at the sites that

enable them to work even as

nursing mothers. There were

however concerns placed be-

fore the NPSC delegation such

as; inadequate worker days,

reluctance on the part of super-

GSOP NPSC MEETS LIPW BENEFICIARIES IN THE UPPER WEST REGIONS

visors to provide the required number of hand

tools and a plea for the increment of the daily

wage. Wakila, a beneficiary who spoke on

behalf her colleagues thanked the Project team

for extending the intervention to their community.

According to her, she was saving part of her

LIPW income to further her education. The climax

of the visit was a debriefing session with the Wa

West District Assembly Team, the Contractor and

Supervision team. Speaking on behalf of the

NPSC, Mrs. Emma Ofori-Agyemang, Director of

PPME-Ministry of Employment and Labour Rela-

tions thanked all partners and stakeholders for

the good work done and shared the key obser-

vations made by the Committee with the meet-

ing. The NPSC challenged the Project team to

review the system of work and remuneration

being employed to ensure that participants are

not over tasked; work towards a synergy be-

tween LIPW and other social protection interven-

tions such as National Health Insurance Scheme

(NHIS) and also ensure that going forward, only

competent personnel are engaged as Community

Facilitators to take charge of the case manage-

ment system put in place by the Project. The

NPSC team assured the group of beneficiaries

that their concern regarding an increase in the

wage rate will be taken on board by the NPSC

and the project team. On his part, the repre-

sentative from the District Assembly assured

members of NPSC that their concerns will be

conveyed to the Leadership of the District As-

sembly for appropriate redress.

The National Project Steering Committee (NPSC) of

the Ghana Social Opportunities Project (GSOP) is a

body put in place to provide policy guidance for the

project. It is made up of Senior Officials of relevant

Ministries, Departments and Agencies and other Civil

Society Organizations. The body, which is co-chaired

by the Ministers of Local Government and Rural De-

velopment (MLGRD) and Gender, Children and Social

Protection (MoGCSP) or their designees meets quar-

terly. By convention, it is required to hold, at least one

such meetings within the year, in a project regional

capital outside Accra during which the opportunity

would be used to visit sub-project sites to assess pro-

gress and interact with beneficiaries and other local

level stakeholders. It is on account of this that the

fourth NPSC field visit was held in the Wa West

The Ghana Social Opportunities Project (GSOP) is a Social Protection initiative which is being jointly implemented by the Ministry of

Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) and the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) . GSOP

aims at improving targeting of social protection programs and providing income support to poor households through the Livelihood

Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) grants and the Labour-intensive Public Works (LIPW) programme which is currently being

piloted in 60 targeted districts across the country. The Project which is being funded with proceeds from the World Bank facility is

also spearheading a process of establishing a National Household Registry which will serve as database for all pro-poor interven-

tions.

Agric Engineering Directorate

Off-Elwak-Burma Camp Road

Former Home Touch Junction

P.O. Box CT 3742

Cantonment –Accra

Phone: +233 302 770246

Fax: +233 302 770247

Email: nco@gsop.gov.gh

Website: www.gsop.gov.gh

THE GHANA SOC IAL OPPORTUN IT IES PROJECT

MINISTRY OF LOCAL

GOVERNMENT AND

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

GhanaSOP

@Ghana_SOP

GSOP Live

CONTACT OUR REGIONAL OFFICES

Wa Regional Coordinating Office - 03920 20190

Bolga Regional Coordinating Office - 03820 21865

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Accra Regional Coordinating Office - 0302 520614/5

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