NOUAKCHOTT, September 7, 2015—The Government of Mauritania will tackle the structural causes of the economic and social vulnerability for households using a US$15 million World Bank grant for the Social Safety Net Project aimed at implementing the National Social Protection Strategy (NSPS).
The agreement was signed on Monday, September 7, 2015 by Sid'Ahmed Ould Raiss, the Mauritanian Minister of Economic Affairs and Development, and Louise Cord, World Bank Country Director for Mauritania, in the presence of Gaston Sorgho, World Bank Country Manager in Mauritania.
Louise Cord stated that “the Social Safety Net Project in Mauritania will focus mainly on execution of the two pillars of the NSPS, namely the Social Registry and the ‘Tekavoul’ (Solidarity in Arabic) Social Transfer Program.”
Cord noted that despite an unfavorable climate, Mauritania is on the right path, as the country continues to experience positive growth and has achieved greater transparency in the management of its natural resources and an improved business climate. However, she noted that a segment of the population is still not sharing the fruits of this growth.
The project, which also includes a US$10 million from the Mauritanian national budget, will be implemented over a five-year period (2015-2020) and will enable the country to establish a social registry that will identify vulnerable households, using an objective and transparent targeting methodology. These households will be the main beneficiaries of the ‘Tekavoul’ program, which will assist the poorest households through direct, periodic, and sustained social transfers.
“This will help families improve their well-being and invest in the human capital of their children through best practice training that ensures the proper development of children. With this assistance, the program will promote the health and the education of the next generation of Mauritanians,” Cord added.
The grant was approved on May 14, 2015 by the World Bank’s Board of Directors. It also includes a subsidy of US$4 million for the Sahel Adaptive Social Fund, bringing the total amount of the NSPS to US$19 million.
