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The Government of Ghana is committed to promoting inclusive economic growth that reduces poverty and creates job opportunities for all Ghanaians. The Government’s aim of promoting broad-based economic growth is outlined in the Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies (2017-2024) which underscores the need to mainstream employment creation in the national development of Ghana. To this end, the Government has prioritized investments in core infrastructure and launched a number of flagship programs that aim to enhance access to jobs, promote entrepreneurship and reduce constraints to growth. While these initiatives are likely to generate job opportunities that are suitable for much of the population, extremely poor households often experience unequal access to such programs, as well as basic services due to low literacy and skills, hence a need for safety net programmes that support them to better access services that promote their productivity and improve their access to jobs.

The objective of the Ghana Productive Safety Net Project 2 (GPSNP 2) is to expand and enhance social safety nets that improve the incomes and productivity of the poor in Ghana. GPSNP 2 is also consistent with the Government’s vision for Ghana’s social protection sector, including productive, gainful employment for the poor, as stated in its National Social Protection Policy 2015, National Employment Policy 2015, and National LIPW Policy 2016.The efforts are also aligned with the Government’s COVID-19 relief and recovery plans, which seek to protect and restore the economic well-being of affected households, workers, and enterprises, and expand and improve the performance of government programs to achieve this. Between 2010 and 2018, the Government implemented the Ghana Social Opportunities Project (GSOP), which was followed by the GPSNP project, which was implemented from 2019 – 2022. These two projects are the precusors to the GPSNP 2, and aimed to improve targeting of social protection programs and providing income support to poor households through Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) grants and Labour Intensive Public Works (LIPW) infrastructure in targeted districts.