The Government of The Gambia has launched a US$31 million intervention to cushion the financial impact of the pandemic. In a communique by the State House of The Gambia, it said that the project is set up to help 83,000 vulnerable households.
Each of the 83,000 households will receive a direct cash transfer under the scheme. The project will be in phases and will support households in Central River Region, Upper River Region, Lower River Region, the Fonis in West Coast Region and Sabach Sanjal in the North Bank region.
Households in the Fonis have already received the first tranche of the cash transfer support. This initiative is underwritten by the World Bank and is coordinated and implemented by government agencies under the auspices and direct coordination of the Office of the Vice President.
The direct cash transfer scheme is meant to mitigate the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable households in the tiny West African nation by increasing short-term consumption of essential goods and services of the families, and enabling longer-term investments in human and productive capital.
This initiative is the government of The Gambia palliative and direct response towards improving and increasing social assistance coverage to the poor in the country.
