Over 260,000 Gambians at risk of food insecurity, VP tells Assembly

The Vice President said the government, through the National Nutrition Agency, is implementing several measures to reduce the impact of food insecurity, particularly among extremely poor households. He said a cash transfer programme currently covers 19,449 households, representing an estimated 155,504 people. Each household receives D1,500 monthly to support consumption, a diversified diet and other basic social needs.

According to the Vice President, the cash transfers are supported by social and behavioural change communication activities, including radio programmes, on-site advocacy, community engagements, radio and television discussions, social media engagement and other activities aimed at building household resilience. He said the programme is also intended to improve knowledge and skills on household health and nutrition, early childhood development, education, health and family planning. The government is also preparing emergency assistance under the Contingency Emergency Response Project to mitigate the impact of the global food crisis. “Approximately 96,000 households will be provided emergency cash transfer, the intervention will include 16,948 households benefiting from the existing programme as it is phased out in 20 districts,” he stated. However, an MP questioned the connection between the cash transfers and food security, particularly for poor families who…