By Olimatou Coker
The World Bank has expressed strong support and optimism for The Gambia’s Resilience, Inclusion, Skills, and Equity (RISE) Project, which recently received $92.71 million in financing. The project aims to improve education quality and access, boost employment opportunities, and expand social protection for the most vulnerable populations in The Gambia.
The project will benefit more than 272,000 Gambians, including youth, children, teachers, and poor households.
Anne Hilger, Co-Task Team leader for the World Bank RISE project, emphasised the dual focus on practical vocational training for youth and strengthening early-grade literacy and numeracy, aiming to give children better future opportunities.
Her remarks reflect the bank’s confidence in the project’s comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach and its alignment with The Gambia’s national development goals.
“The Gambia Rise project is the most important and beneficial project I have ever witnessed,” she told journalists in Kiang Janneh Kunda, Lower River Region during the ongoing Nafa Cash transfer programme under the RISE project. The project is jointly funded by the World Bank and the Gambia government and implemented by the National Nutrition Agency (NaNA), the Directorate of Social Welfare (DSW) and the Department of Community Development (DCD).
Implemented in 20 districts considered the poorest in The Gambia, the Nafa project provides bi-monthly cash transfer of D3, 000 to beneficiaries.
It also organise Behavioural Change Communication (SBCC) sessions to approximately 17,000 extreme poor households for a period of 36 months.
“I am very happy to see so many women beneficiaries who are investing wisely in the future,” she said.
She disclosed that the project will expand to 10 more districts.
NaNA CEO Malang Fofana described the visit of the World Bank team as special and historic.
“It has given the opportunity to see firsthand some of the achievements registered by the project,” he said.
