The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in increased poverty in sub-Saharan Africa and worsened economic conditions for women and girls, who are often at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Since COVID-19, Ghana's gender parity index has worsened, reaching 0.69 in 2023, a score indicating that women were 31% less likely to have the same socio-economic opportunities as men. Gender inequalities continue to persist in Ghana due to social norms that put women in subservient roles. In the context of development, cash transfers are often promoted as critical for reducing the level and severity of poverty. However, without proper gender considerations, there is a concern that cash transfers may fail to reach those left furthest behind, potentially limiting rather than promoting women's empowerment. This research uses feminist political ecology to explore experiences of women's empowerment in Ghana's Upper West Region, one of the poorest areas in the country. We focused on the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) social protection program to explore how cash transfers and complementary water services impact women's wellbeing, empowerment, and access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. The results show that cash transfers are significantly impacting women's decision-making power regarding sanitation expenditures and water allocation. This, according to the Empowerment in WASH Index, is a positive indicator of women's empowerment. Also, through cash transfers, LEAP beneficiary households can pay for water services, which reduced concerns about water shortages compared to non-beneficiaries. Furthermore, through cash transfers, LEAP beneficiaries were better prepared and able to withstand shocks from disasters and WASH emergencies compared to non-beneficiaries. These results will expand current knowledge of capturing the links between women's empowerment and the promotion of inclusive water security, gender equality, and post-COVID-19 recovery.