Bissau — The World Bank has approved a $20 million grant to strengthen education, health, and social protection services in Guinea-Bissau, focusing on the country's most vulnerable: children, pregnant women, adolescent girls, and disadvantaged families.
The Guinea-Bissau Human Capital Project aims to improve access to quality social services across the country. Key activities include:
- Providing cash transfers to poor and vulnerable families to allow for investments in health, education, and nutrition.
- Establishing and expanding the National Social Registry, a key tool for social programs.
- Providing capacity building for social workers, teachers, and health professionals.
- Implementing a national community health strategy.
- Distributing new learning materials to all schools in the country and expanding the use of technology in the education sector.
"When we talk about Human Capital, we refer to the knowledge, skills, and health individuals accumulate over their lives, enabling them to reach their full potential as members of society," says Rosa Brito, World Bank Group Resident Representative in Guinea-Bissau. "This project focuses on delivering essential social services to pregnant women, adolescent girls, and children up to the age of 10, which is the most critical stage of a child's development. By empowering women, girls and children to reach their full potential, we are making a strategic investment in the long-term development of Guinea-Bissau."
The project will be implemented through 2030 in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Women, Family and Social Solidarity. It is expected to directly benefit 111,000 primary school children, over 200,000 pregnant women and adolescent girls, more than 1 million children under the age of 5, and 3,500 vulnerable households.
