Cameroon, WB create cash transfer program to serve local people

The Cameroonian government and the World Bank have created a cash transfer program, named "Social Safety Net Project", as part of efforts to improve the living conditions of the 65,000 poorest families in Cameroon.

According to a statement from World Bank office in Cameroon on Thursday, Jean-Claude Wandji's family in New Bell neighbourhood in the economic capital city of Douala, is one of 65,000 vulnerable households now benefiting from a cash transfer program.

"At age 51, he is a widower struggling to take care of his children and grandchildren who are still under his roof. Unable to secure steady employment, he ekes out a living as a street vendor in order to feed his children. His situation is extremely precarious. When he does not manage to sell anything, there are many chances that his family will not eat," it said.

According to the bank, vulnerable households such as that of Wandji are becoming increasingly common in Cameroon. Despite the country's vast wealth of natural resources, growth has not yet been able to make a dent in the national poverty rate, which has held steady at 39 percent since 2001 while in the northern regions, the poverty rate can go over 50 percent.

It is against this backdrop that the Cameroonian government and the World Bank have established the Social Safety Net Project, with the aim of creating a national social safety net system that includes a cash transfer program and coordinates income-generating activities (IGAs) for the poorest.

The beneficiaries are able to pay medical bills and school fees thanks to a cash transfer program that supplements their income.

Health, education, nutrition, public services, and training are the main areas in which beneficiaries are required to spend this money. Living below the poverty line, these families have not been able to afford some of the most basic needs. These transfers will now make it possible for pregnant women to receive prenatal care, babies to be registered at birth, children to be enrolled in school, and youth and elderly to enjoy better nutrition.

Beneficiary households are also encouraged to develop income-generating activities. To this end, the project facilitates the establishment of associations, offers technical support, and provides two transfers of 80,000 CFA francs (one dollar equals to about 600 CFA francs) which can be used as investment capital.

Meanwhile, Carlo del Ninno, a World Bank senior economist for the Africa region working on safety net policies and programs, explains that studies have shown that the cash transfer system, along with other measures, has a significant impact on development. "Thanks in part to this program, the most vulnerable households in Cameroon will be able to break a vicious cycle of poverty and malnutrition," he stated.

The first phase of payments started at the end of November 2015 in the Far-North Region and was completed at the end of January 2016 in the cities of Yaounde and Douala while a new payment phase will reconvene beneficiaries in two months' time.

Cameroon is a country in central Africa with a population currently estimated at over 22 million in its 10 regions. Though the country has a wealth of natural resources and good agricultural conditions in many regions, poverty is widespread.

However, under its "Vision 2035" plan, the government aims to reduce poverty from 40 percent in 2007 to less than 20 percent by 2035. Endit