Fatou Gibba made this disclosure on Monday 18th May 2026 during the ongoing enrolment of vulnerable household beneficiaries into the PEI program.
This expansion covers twelve districts across various regions through The Gambia government and World Bank PEI sub-project.
The recent enrolment held in various communities including Ndemban village in Foni Brefet, Bambara village in Foni Bondali, Kiang Wudeba and Jouli villages in Kiang West, all in the 12 districts within Lower River Region.
At end activity, each selected household is expected to receive a D20,000 cash grant, alongside structured support including training, mentoring and continuous coaching designed to strengthen small businesses and entrepreneurial skills.
This PEI program is been implemented by the Department of Community Development (DCD) in partnership with the National Nutrition Agency (NaNA) and the Directorate of Social Welfare (DSW) under The Gambia Resilience Inclusion Skills and Equity (RISE) project.
The five-year government program funded by the World Bank, is aimed at improving the lives of the most vulnerable through social protection and economic inclusion.
The validation and enrolment of participants for the PEI Program is a critical process that requires careful planning and community participation.
By aligning with local structures such as VDC, Inter-Personal Communicators (IPCs) and Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) committees, the programme can ensure that it meets its objectives while fostering community ownership and accountability.
The program is designed to ensure that the right participants are enrolled in a transparent manner with collaboration of relevant community structures in facilitating participation of all.
Speaking to reporters recently, Director Gibba revealed that they are currently on the first scale-up targeting 3420 vulnerable households in 12 districts within the West Coast Region, Kiang Central and West in the Lower River, North Bank and Central River Regions, North and South.
She said that each household beneficiary would be given a conditional grant of D20, 000 for income generation activity with a first disbursement of 75 percent of the amount after undergoing series of training programs on entrepreneurship and financial literacy among others.
“One must invest the cash into an income generating activity and attend 75 percent of the training programs to be able to qualify,” she emphasised.
