The Nafa Cash Transfer, which is under the Gambia Resilience, Inclusion, Skills and Equity (RISE) program, is jointly funded by the World Bank and the Gambia government and implemented by the National Nutrition Agency (NaNA) in collaboration with the Department of Community Development (DCD) and the Directorate of Social Welfare (DSW).
The project is poised to provide a foundation for providing sustainable livelihoods to the poor and vulnerable.
The “Nafa” program a subcomponent of the RISE project is being implemented in 20 poorest Districts in the Gambia, a bi-monthly cash transfer of D3,000 and behavioral change activities provided to approximately 17,000 extreme poor households (beneficiaries households) for a period of 36 months.
Speaking to journalists, she said that throughout their engagements over the past five years, they have seen key investments in the social protection sector and equally seen the impact on the Nafa beneficiaries.
She noted that the previous Social Safety Net Project (SSNP) and the RISE project have a very strong monitoring and evaluating component where they also tract the impact that the investments have made on the Nafa beneficiaries.
“We have seen the beneficiaries spend most of their transfers, about 70% on food but 30% on investments in small ruminants and agriculture in human capital, on children and education. So, we are very excited to see these investments on the ground,” she said.
Franklin Mutahakana, World Bank Group Resident Representative in The Gambia, described the social protection program significant as far as the Bank support for poverty reduction is concerned.
He said their visit to meet with the beneficiaries demonstrated some of the achievements the Bank project has had in the country after listening from the testimonies of the beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, the World Bank (WB) team and delegates from the Central Project Coordination Unit (CPCU) had the opportunity to interact with Nafa beneficiaries in various communities including Burong village and Kiang Karantaba where they had the chance to hear testimonies shared by beneficiaries on the impact of the project.
Beneficiaries, especially women, described the WB Nafa cash transfer project a life changing initiative that has positively impacted in the lives of many households.
