WFP supports 75,000 food insecure people in Ghana to recover from socio -economic effects of coronavirus
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection’s National Household Registry is focusing on COVID-19-affected people, and beneficiaries who will benefit from the support include 65,000 daily wage earners in the Greater Accra region and 10,000 smallholder farmers in the Ashanti and Western regions. They will receive five months of cash support through the Ministry’s Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme, via mobile money transfers.
“Food security and nutrition are two areas which are often comprised during socio-economic downturns such as what is underway during this COVID-19 pandemic,” said Rukia Yacoub, WFP Representative and Country Director in Ghana. “Well-targeted social protection cushions the poor, protects them from economic destitution and prevents the complete erosion of long-term gains in human development.”
In addition to cash transfers for beneficiaries, WFP is providing US$88,000 to the Ghana National Household Registry to support funding gaps in assistance to the poorest COVID-affected people. In all, WFP’s support to Ghana’s social protection programme to mitigate the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 among the most vulnerable amounts to US$ 1.9 million.
While national measures have been critical in containing and mitigating the impact of the virus, the medium-term socio-economic consequences are expected to push more people into poverty and to worsen the situation of the most vulnerable. The risks are not only short-term losses but also long-term impacts on poverty and inequality, human capital, and economic growth.
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies, building prosperity and supporting a sustainable future for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
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