Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has assured Ghanaians of increased government commitment to strengthening social protection programmes and local development initiatives in 2025.
“In 2025, Government will continue to implement reforms and increase budgetary allocations to enhance the implementation of the four targeted social protection programmes, namely NHIS, the LEAP Programme, the School Feeding Programme, and the Capitation Grant,” he stated while presenting the government’s first budget statement to Parliament on Tuesday, March 11.
Dr. Forson announced that under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme, benefit payments have been indexed to inflation, with the number of beneficiary households set to rise from 350,000 to 400,000 by July 2025.
He further revealed a 30.8% increase in the LEAP budget, raising it from GH¢728.8 million to GH¢953.5 million.
Similarly, the School Feeding Programme will see an increase in both overall allocation and feeding cost per pupil per day by 33%. The Capitation Grant, which supports basic education, has also been boosted significantly, with its budget increasing from GH¢84 million in 2024 to GH¢145.5 million in 2025, reflecting a 73.2% rise.
In a move to enhance road infrastructure, Dr. Forson disclosed that the government has uncapped the Road Fund, programming GH¢2.81 billion exclusively for road maintenance in 2025. “This represents an increase of 155.5% over the 2024 allocation of GH¢1.1 billion,” he emphasized.
Furthering its decentralization agenda, the government has allocated GH¢7.51 billion to the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF), with a proposal to Parliament that at least 80% of these funds be sent directly to district assemblies to drive local economic growth.
“This is in stark contrast to what has happened to the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) in recent years, where less than 50% of the released amount to DACF goes to the District Assemblies, with a significant portion spent at the center,” Dr. Forson remarked.
With these financial commitments, the government aims to reinforce social safety nets, improve infrastructure, and ensure decentralization efforts translate into tangible benefits for communities across the country.
