30,000 TO RECIEVE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE (PAGE 22)

ABOUT 30,000 vulnerable people would benefit from the National Social Protection Strategy (NSPS) by the end of the year.
Initially, 15,000 vulnerable people were earmarked for the project but the increase in figure was informed by the number of those who were not covered under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme.
Briefing the press after the opening of a capacity-building workshop for the national technical committee of the NSPS at Elmina, Ms Angela Asante-Asare, the National Co-ordinator of the programme, said the NSPS was another government intervention to enhance the capacity of the poor and vulnerable persons.
It is aimed at assisting them to manage socio-economic risks, such as unemployment, sickness, disability and old age.
Ms Asante-Asare said the interventions were meant to improve the livelihood of the extremely poor by reducing the impact of risks and shocks confronting them.
She said the NSPS support would also give the extremely poor opportunities to acquire sustainable basic needs.
She said the programme would improve the ability of the very poor to contribute to economic development as well as assisting the country to meet the Millennium Development Goals and the New Partnership for Africa's Development.
Ms Asante-Asare stated that Cabinet approved the NSPS due to the inadequacies in the LEAP in reaching the poorest of the poor.