Urban nafa cash transfer expansion reaches over 4,000 vulnerable households

The initiative, implemented by the National Nutrition Agency (NaNA) under the Gambia Resilience, Inclusion, Skills and Equity (RISE) Project, marks the first time the Nafa Cash Transfer Programme is being extended to urban communities as part of efforts to strengthen social protection and support vulnerable families.

The three-year programme is funded by the World Bank and implemented in collaboration with the Department of Community Development (DCD) and the Directorate of Social Welfare (DSW).

As part of the rollout, implementing partners are conducting Social and Behavioural Change Communication (SBCC) sessions with beneficiaries across communities. The sessions focus on the objectives of the programme, expectations of beneficiaries and effective ways of utilising the cash support to improve household wellbeing.

The urban expansion is expected to provide nationwide coverage of the Nafa programme, complementing ongoing payments to beneficiaries in rural communities, where some recipients are currently receiving their fifth payment cycle.

The urban beneficiaries will receive their payments through electronic money transfer services provided by Q-Money at no cost to recipients.

Speaking to journalists during the ongoing disbursement exercise at Jiboro Kuta in the West Coast Region, NaNA Administration and Human Resource Officer Malang Janneh said the team was conducting verification for 199 beneficiary households from four communities.

He explained that the beneficiaries were scheduled to receive their first payment of D6,000 each due to delays caused by documentation processes.

“This time around, each of them will receive D6,000 simply because the first payment they were supposed to receive was not done because the documentation process was not ready. This is why we are paying them this amount,”Janneh said.

He added that from the next payment cycle, beneficiaries will receive the regular payment of D3000 every two months.

At Sotokoi Village in Kombo East, Principal Community Development Officer Andrew Mendy said the programme goes beyond financial support, as beneficiaries are also being guided on how to strategically use the funds to improve their livelihoods.

He said community engagement sessions will continue at household level to encourage families to invest the money in areas that can bring long-term benefits.

Beneficiaries have welcomed the intervention, describing it as timely support for vulnerable households, particularly women who carry major responsibilities in providing for their families.

Mariama Bojang, a Village Health Worker in Sotokoi, expressed appreciation to the government and development partners for introducing the programme.

“Sometimes we the women wake up as early as 3 a.m. and go to the market to make sales before returning home to take care of our families. With this project intervention, it will help us in supporting our children and managing household needs,” she said.

Other communities covered under the ongoing disbursement exercise include Bassori village, where 208 households from four communities are benefiting, and Kafuta village in Kombo East, which has 139 beneficiary households.

The Urban Nafa Cash Transfer Expansion is expected to provide critical financial assistance to thousands of vulnerable families while strengthening social resilience and improving livelihoods across urban communities in The Gambia.