Malang Fofana, Director General, National Nutrition Agency
By Fatou Sillah
At the 2nd edition of the Gambia International Social Protection Conference, held under the theme “Investing in Resilience: Towards Long-Term Financing of Social Protection” at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center in Bijilo, Malang Saidy, Director General of the Gambia National Nutrition Agency (NaNA), highlighted the pivotal role of the NAFA program in addressing food and nutrition insecurity.
In his presentation on “Building Resilience Against Food and Nutrition Insecurity: A Case Study of the NAFA Program,” Fofana explained that the NAFA initiative emerged from the Phase-Out Social Safety Net Project (SSNP), a government program supported by the World Bank that combines cash transfers with behavior change communication to enhance the welfare of vulnerable households.
He stated, “When the SSNP phased out in December 2023, and the Gambia Resilience, Inclusion, Skills, and Equity (RISE) Project was being designed, it was decided to extend and expand the NAFA Program within the RISE Project as part of Component Three.”
Fofana emphasized that the program aims to provide social assistance to households, helping reduce vulnerability while supporting access to education, healthcare, and improved livelihoods. “The program helps households invest in livelihoods and contributes to human capital development in the country,” he said.
Highlighting the program’s data-driven approach, he added, “We don’t just sit out of the blue and say it is Jarra West or Jarra East. We use the Integrated Household Survey to look at the poverty gap and poverty headcount ranking, and these two help us to rank all districts from one to forty-two. Based on that ranking, we start with the poorest districts,” he said.
He also underscored the importance of the social registry, noting that it allows NaNA to identify eligible households nationwide
“The social registry, which we are proud of today for having national coverage, is what we use to identify the most vulnerable and eligible households,” Fofana said.
During the conference, Dr. Sintiki Taraga Ugbe, Director of Humanitarian and Social Affairs at the ECOWAS Commission, presented on the ECOWAS Social Protection Framework and Operational Plan, emphasizing the urgent need for member states to increase investment in social protection systems.
“According to the World Social Protection Report, social protection expenditure, excluding health, reaches 3.8% of GDP in Africa, but in West Africa it is less than 1%,” she said.
Dr. Ugbe further noted, “Member states of the ECOWAS region recognize the importance of prioritizing social protection interventions to reduce social and economic vulnerability. Studies have shown 13 out of our 15 member states, and this morning we’ve heard that the Gambia has had its social protection policy for 10 years and it’s now working to have a revised version also also the key issues relating to developing national social protection flaws.”