Summary:

• The World Bank is providing an additional $100 million in financing to support over 200,000 Somali households facing flooding and food insecurity through the Somalia Shock Responsive Safety Net for Human Capital Project, aiming to extend emergency cash transfers and ongoing safety net support while reinforcing resilience and human capital development in response to a crisis affecting 8.25 million people in Somalia.

The World Bank has announced an additional $100 million in financing to aid over 200,000 Somali households grappling with flooding and food insecurity. The Somalia Shock Responsive Safety Net for Human Capital Project (SNHCP), funded by the World Bank, will deliver emergency cash transfers to 215,000 households impacted by floods and drought. In a statement on Tuesday evening, the bank revealed that the program would not only extend ongoing safety net support to 200,000 impoverished households through regular nutrition-linked unconditional cash transfers (UCT) for six months but also provide UCT to a recertified cohort of 50,000 beneficiaries.

Kristina Svensson, the World Bank country manager for Somalia, emphasized that the additional financing and concurrent restructuring aim to bolster the Baxnaano program, supporting its expansion and reinforcing key elements for resilience against future shocks. The Baxnaano program, led by the state, seeks to establish a social safety net system to enhance human capital and resilience in Somalia.

The World Bank outlined that the initiative would strengthen the connections between the social protection program, available health and nutrition services, and the labor market. It will also contribute to the nationwide expansion of data collection for a unified social registry, forming the foundation of a national adaptive social protection platform. This strategic investment, according to the World Bank, will empower the government to foster human capital development and build crucial resilience to impending crises.

Ali Nadeem Qureshi, World Bank senior social protection specialist, emphasized the severe impact of prolonged drought and recent floods on Somalia. He underscored the World Bank’s commitment to assisting the government in addressing immediate needs while fortifying the national adaptive social protection system. Qureshi highlighted that the initiative reflects the bank’s dedication to providing critical assistance to vulnerable households affected by conflict, locust invasion, COVID-19, and recent floods, laying the groundwork for inclusive economic growth.

The project is described by the World Bank as a strategic response to resilience and human capital development, underscoring the institution’s steadfast commitment to the long-term objective of eradicating extreme poverty in Somalia. The bank noted that approximately 8.25 million people, constituting half of Somalia’s population, currently require humanitarian assistance due to the combined impact of drought and floods.