Basic Social Subsidy Program (PSSB)
•The SPER project is supporting the expansion and coverage of the PSSB Regular through financing 14,000 new beneficiaries in Nampula and Zambezia. During the last WB mission in October 2023, the Government has committed to take over the payment of the 14,000 beneficiaries with State Budget from 2025 meaning that the amount allocated to this within the MDTF can be reallocated to other activities.
•PSSB Child Grant (0-2years): in September 2022 MGCAS finalized the child grant expansion plan (2022 -2026) with the target of covering 500,000 beneficiaries in nine priority Provinces. The SPER team provided guidance to the expansion plan and the beneficiary targets for priority Provinces and Districts, based on geographical prioritization (using Multidimensional Poverty index and malnutrition index), and capacity building requirements. The SPER project (IDA and MDTF funds) is supporting the expansion in Zambezia, Cabo Delgado and Nampula Provinces reaching 110,000 beneficiaries in a phased manner by 2026, with a goal to reach 25,000 by the end of 2023. UNICEF/UNJP are financing 46,500 beneficiaries in Nampula and Cabo Delgado Provinces, and INAS are covering 3840 beneficiaries in Inhambane Province with the State Budget (OE).
Direct social assistance program for emergency response (PASD PE)
•Project agreed to cover approximately 185,000 beneficiaries of the response to COVID19 to complete payments from Maputo City and Province, Zambezia, Inhambane, Gaza and Cabo Delgado. Payments completed to 130,000 beneficiaries including the provinces of Cabo-Delgado, Zambézia, Gaza and Maputo Province), remaining payments to Inhambane (and residuals to be paid up to January 2024)
•Nampula province - the government asked the WB for support to make payments to around 94,000 which was authorized, pending the availability of funds within the new disbursement ceiling agreed exceptionally, which would be $30M. Payments are expected to start in November.
Public Works (PASP-PW) and Income Generation Support (PASP-ADIGR)
The PASP-PW focuses on supporting community social and economic infrastructure and services while PASP-ADIGR focuses on building productive capacities as a graduation strategy of poor and vulnerable households. The beneficiaries participate in subprojects for six to nine months during the year (for a maximum of 3 cycles) and are paid MZM 1,050 (US$15) per month.
Public works program is progressing well and reached 66% of beneficiary target.
•66,823 households reached in 54 districts (out of the 56 planned) and the first payments are planned for the last week of October 2023. A total of 4,104 sub-projects (34.4% have climate resilience content) identified and training conducted for 249 local technicians (INAS, SDAES, SDPI) in the 10 implementing provinces.
•As of June 2023, beneficiaries (2827) were identified and participating in PW projects in the Districts of Mecufi and Chirue in Cabo Delagado. Trainings covering 54 expansion districts are running from June to July in Nampula, Niassa and Zambezia, with the plan to start registering beneficiaries from September onwards.
•PASP is being financed jointly with SPER funds and State Budget funds, which shows the complementarity and unique approach to implementation.
•From October to December 2022, INAS conducted an assessment of the ADGIR beneficiaries preparing to graduate which covered approximately 48, 353 of the 50,000 beneficiaries from 19 districts.
•Local supply processes for the kits are complete for 31,687 households in 14 districts and budget execution is expected before December 31, 2023.
The Shock Responsive Agenda:
•This agenda is led by the Directorate of Social Action at MGCAS and aims to foster collaboration and coordination to better respond to shocks and disasters in Mozambique, MDTF donors and the WB, WFP and UNICEF are key partners. The agenda has a concrete action plan (2021 -2023) developed by Adaptive Social Protection Technical Working Group following the second Dialogue on Social Resilience (in October 2021). The plan covers coordination, planning and preparation mechanisms between MGCAS, INAS and INGC; data sharing; implementation mechanisms and M&E of shock responsive SP programs; financing; and capacity building.
Advisory Services and Analytics (ASA) work
Activities consist of analytical work, technical assistance, direct implementation support and supervision, executed by the World Bank staff, as well as consultants, and consultancy firms and are designed to ensure quality of implementation, allow some flexibility throughout implementation, to adapt and incorporate additional activities to respond to emerging needs directly aligned to WB financed projects across the SPJ agenda.Through ASA, the WB conducted:
• A quick coverage assessment and mapping of regular SP programs comprising the two biggest regular SP programs: the basic social assistance, PSSB, the largest national programme and mainly Government funded; and the productive social assitance, PASP, mainly WB funded. This coverage assessment provided a first look at province level SP under/over coverage, and presented a quick view at the programs' targeting effectiveness in reaching the poorest population. Findings were discussed with Government and donor partners.
•This study was instrumental to trigger the sensitve discussion around efficiency of SP coverage with government and development partners, and raising awareness on the need for further studies in this area. Findings also serve as inputs for the mid-term evaluation of the national strategy for social protection (ENSSB II).
•The ASA has supported the development of two (excel-based) policy tools to support the governments evidence-based decision-making process related to the expansion of the PASP and the PSSB-SC supported under the SPER Project. These tools have been shared with the MGCAS/INAS, and have been used to inform joint (UNICEF, WB, INAS/MGCAS) technical discussions for the expansion of PSSB-CG.
•Documented emergency responses experiences provide a basis for harmonization of emergency responses and definition of clear SP-humanitarian linkages
•Key achievements in delivery systems (e.g. rolling out full digital payments, conducting electronic enrolment of beneficiaries), but challenges remain, lack of effective targeting mechanisms for efficient allocation of resources, beneficiary registry, fully operational MIS
