COVID-19 Relief Cash Roll Out To The Extremely Poor

The Government of Ghana (GoG), is set to undertake the transfer of COVID-19 relief cash to the extremely poor and vulnerable persons in Ghana.

According to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, in a statement, this intervention is targeted at 125,000 specific vulnerable individuals and households across the country and will be made in two instalments in November 2020 and January 2021.

Beneficiaries include the homeless in Accra and Kumasi, persons living with disabilities, persons in alleged witch camps.

Also, persons affected by floods as well as other extremely poor and vulnerable persons in the poorest regions of the country are enrolled on the relief packages.

The statement explaining the reason for the initiative explained that, Corona Virus pandemic has only not created a health crisis but also caused social and economic shocks with a disproportionate impact on the poor and rich, as such an intervention had to be brought in.

“Hence, providing a temporary cushion to extremely poor and vulnerable is critical to protecting Ghana’s gains in poverty reduction and improving human development outcomes. The Government is adopting a mix of measures including cash transfers; a globally proven tool that has been deployed extensively in response to the shocks of COVID-19.”

The Ministry further said, the initiative is also premised on the lives and livelihoods of the extremely poor and vulnerable segment of the country’s population, as they have worsened in the wake of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

In light of this, government has therefore put in place several measures to support all Ghanaians including the poor and vulnerable.

“From the provision of free light and water, provision of nutritious hot meals for persons living within the lockdown areas, free healthcare and support for persons who were affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and provision of hot-nutritious meals to final year students in Senior and Junior High Schools as well as the second-year students nationwide. Government is very committed to ensuring that the welfare of all Ghanaians is catered for and that ‘no one is left behind’ in national economic growth and development.”

The statement further indicated that, depending on their situation, each beneficiary will receive a one-off temporary GoG COVID19 Relief Cash Transfer payment ranging from GH₵220.00 up to GH₵550.00.

And touching on how to determine the poverty and vulnerability of individuals, the ministry disclosed that, the Ghana National Household Registry (GNHR) under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), will be responsible for determining the statuses as well as the eligibility of all potential individuals and households for the Relief Cash Transfer.

The Ministry, then urged stakeholders and the general public to adhere to safety measures such as wearing of face masks, physical and social distancing and hand washing.

The GoG COVID-19 Relief Cash Transfer is provided by Government through the MoGCSP with support from its development partners; The World Bank, UNICEF and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the UK.