The Gambia National Social Protection Policy.

The National Social Protection Policy (NSPP) defines a comprehensive and cross-cutting social protection reform agenda and proposes a set of priority actions to guide the gradual establishment of a coherent social protection system in The Gambia. The long-term vision (2015-2025) for social protection is to establish an inclusive, integrated and comprehensive social protection system that will effectively provide protective, preventative, promotive and transformative measures to safeguard the lives of all poor and vulnerable groups in The Gambia and contribute to broader human development, greater economic productivity and inclusive growth. The overarching goals of the social protection policy focus on: addressing gaps in coverage and aligning programmes; providing guidance to increase the coordination of interventions through the adoption of a systematic and harmonised mechanism; strengthening capacity at the national, sub-national and local level for policy formulation, coordination, implementation and monitoring and identifying and creating fiscal space for the sustainable financing of social protection.
The NSPP defines social protection as: transformative policies and programmes designed to reduce poverty and population vulnerability by promoting efficient labour markets, diminishing individuals’ exposure to risk, and equipping people with the means to protect themselves from hazards and the interruption or loss of income. In The Gambia economic, environmental and health risks have translated into high levels of food and nutrition insecurity, hence a multitude of social protection projects, schemes and programmes exist in The Gambia that address a variety of risks and deprivations facing poor and vulnerable groups. The investments in social protection are expected to generate the following positive economic and social impacts: Contribute to greater equity, pro-poor growth and social cohesion; Contribute to food and nutritional security and access to basic services and Contribute to inclusive economic development.
Social protection programmes will address multidimensional risks, paying particular attention to social vulnerabilities that exacerbate people’s exposure to risks, discrimination and poverty. Strong national ownership and government leadership at all levels will be promoted and supported in order to drive NSPP implementation. Social protection programmes will be transparent – incorporating the accurate and timely dissemination of information, robust outcomes and impacts. Social protection programmes will be developed based on robust poverty, risk and vulnerability assessments in order to ensure that their design is informed by solid evidence. The Government and its partners will commit to reliable, sustainable and institutionalised funding mechanisms to fund social protection. The social protection system will consist of the following policy priority areas: Safeguard the welfare of the poorest and most vulnerable populations (Area 1); Protect vulnerable populations from transitory shocks (Area 2); Promote livelihoods and income of the poorest and vulnerable, economically active populations (Area 3); Reduce people’s exposure to social risks and vulnerabilities, including discrimination and exclusion (Area 4) and Strengthen leadership, governance and social protection systems in order to design and deliver effective and efficient programs (Area 5).
The Policy consists of 4 Sections as follow: Introduction (1); Background and rationale for strengthening social protection in The Gambia (2); National Social Protection Policy Framework (3) and Institutional Framework (4). The Policy has 2 Annexes.