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The World Bank has approved a $10 million International Development Association (IDA) credit to Liberia for the establishment of the Liberia Social Safety Nets Project (LSSNP). The project will provide income support to the extremely poor and food insecure households in the country.

The LSSNP will benefit 10,000 households in four of Liberia’s most food insecure counties: Bomi, Maryland, Grand Kru and River Gee.

“The Social Safety Nets Project focuses on delivering cash transfers to the poorest households in Liberia and providing accompanying measures to support their food security,” World Bank Liberia Country Manager Inguna Dobraja said last week. "The project will place emphasis on addressing vulnerability and reducing poverty in the targeted project areas.”

The World Bank said in a statement that Liberia has a high degree of malnutrition among children and there is a lack of dietary diversity in the most food insecure and chronically poor households. The LSSNP project will provide increased awareness on nutrition among targeted households. The financial assistance will improve consumption and investment in the human development of their families, particularly young children, as well as pregnant women and lactating mothers.

“The Liberia Social Safety Nets Project marks a significant step forward in the support to long-term recovery and resilience building for communities affected by shocks in the Liberia,” said Suleiman Namara, World Bank Task Team Leader for the project. “The systems developed under this project will help make social protection interventions better targeted, more accessible, as well as strengthen coordination of service delivery.”

The project will be implemented by the Liberian Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection in collaboration with the ministries of Health and Agriculture. Further support will be provided by Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services, and Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission.