By Olimatou Coker
A total of 3,420 beneficiaries are being validated under the Productive Economic Inclusion Program, the graduation phase of The Gambia’s flagship cash transfer initiative.
The programme is implemented by the Department of Community Development in partnership with the National Nutrition Agency and the Directorate of Social Welfare and is coordinated by the Ministry of Finance’s Central Project Coordination Unit. It operates under the Gambia RISE Project, funded by the World Bank Group.
Speaking during the validation in Baddibu Dibba Kunda Wollof, NaNA Deputy Director General Abdul Aziz Ceesay called the exercise “a critical component” of building resilience among vulnerable households and reducing poverty nationwide.
Ceesay explained that PEI targets households graduating from the NAFA Program, which provides D3,000 cash transfers every two months for 36 months. Under PEI, selected households will receive an additional D20,000 grant to expand existing businesses or launch new ones.
“This exercise is one of the sub-components of the RISE Project,” Ceesay said. “The Productive Economic Inclusion Program is intended to strengthen household resilience and increase the revenue base of vulnerable families.
Ceesay disclosed that PEI will ultimately reach 10,000 beneficiaries nationwide. Fifty percent will be drawn from existing NAFA households, and 50% from extremely poor households not previously covered by NAFA.
“The inclusion of non-NAFA households is aimed at promoting social justice and ensuring broader access to livelihood opportunities,” he said. “NAFA does not reach everybody. There are many vulnerable households that equally need support to improve their livelihoods and break out of the poverty cycle.”
On accountability, Ceesay stressed that beneficiary selection is drawn directly from the GAM-SR social registry managed by the National Social Protection Agency. Neither NaNA nor program managers can arbitrarily add or remove names.
“The process is very transparent,” he stated. “We request beneficiary lists from the social registry, and those are the names we validate and register. If there are complaints regarding inclusion or exclusion, grievance redress mechanisms are in place, including hotline 1229.”
Beneficiaries will undergo training in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, business management, and social and behavioural change communication to ensure business sustainability.
“We want beneficiaries to understand how to manage businesses, separate personal finances from business finances, and grow sustainable income-generating activities,” Ceesay said. “The overall objective is to increase household income, improve nutrition, diversify diets, and reduce malnutrition among children.”
Bakary Fofana, Principal Trainer at DCD, described PEI as a vital intervention for food security, income growth, and reducing inequality among vulnerable families.
“Poverty reduction is a good cause, especially in the form of a grant,” Fofana said. “This project is essential in addressing poverty issues relating to food security and household income by introducing participants to different business initiatives.”
He added that beneficiaries will receive financial support to implement viable, marketable business ideas expected to generate sustainable income and meet daily household needs.
Fofana defended the selection process as fair and transparent, noting that beneficiaries were identified using Proxy Means Test data collected by the Gambia Bureau of Statistics about six years ago.
“The National Social Protection Secretariat used the same data to identify potential beneficiaries,” he said. “The selection process gives the required results in identifying vulnerable households that should be part of the project.”
For this year, Fofana said the regional target is 382 participants. “At the end of this cycle, we expect the poverty level of at least 382 households to be significantly reduced through businesses identified and implemented by the beneficiaries themselves,” he noted.
The validation team also visited Foni Ndeban, Kiang Wudeba, Batti Ndarr, and Fulabantang in Central River Region South as part of the nationwide rollout.
