The NLGFC says all preparatory work for the roll out of the the World Bank funded Social Support Resilient Livelihoods Project (SSRLP), is on track.

NLGFC Director of Infrastructure and Economic Development, Engineer Paul Chipeta says the roll out is expected in July, 2020. Chipeta says what remains is for the Government to fulfill effectiveness

conditions.

“After the project was passed in the parliament, we have been working on fulfilling two conditions; setting up a Project Steering Committee and developing the Project Implementation Manual (PIM). All these have been done and we are waiting for the Government to comment on the draft PIM and move to the next steps,” .

With funding from the World Bank, the SSRLP is expected to be implemented for a period of five yearsrunning from July 2020 to June 2025. The Programme will be implemented in 14 Councils; Chitipa, Karonga, Rumphi, Nkhatabay, Kasungu, Nkhotakota, Dowa, Ntchisi, Lilongwe, Dedza, Blantyre,Chiradzulu, Balaka and Phalombe.

The SSRLP is a successor of the Malawi Social Action Fund (MASAF) IV and is based on a strong vision of reform, working towards improved coordination and emphasis on consolidation and sustainability.

The Objective of SSRLP is to improve resilience among the poor and vulnerable population and strengthen the national platform for safety nets in Malawi. It supports the Malawi National Social Support Program II (MNSSP) and is entirely devised around the MNSSPII strategy and Implementation Plan.

The project has four main components; Improving Social and Economic Inclusion, Strengthening Harmonised Delivery System, Capacity Building and Institutional Strengthening Support and Contingent Emergency Support.

SSRLP will have a greater focus on Social Cash Transfer Program (SCTP) as an anchor programme and enhanced livelihoods support in a sustainable manner.

The project will also test the ability of the SCTP to scale-up in response to weatherrelated disasters.