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Monrovia, Liberia, March 3, 2025 – The World Bank announces an increment in the Women Fishmongers Empowerment Grant Facility from US$800,000 to US$1.2 million, to ensure actual impact and increase beneficiaries.
Speaking over the weekend at the grand official launch of the Women Fishmongers Empowerment Grant Facility held at the Corporate Headquarters of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority, the Task Team Lead of the World Bank-financed Liberia Sustainable Management of Fisheries Project, Madam Ruma Tarvorath, disclosed that the Bank is planning to get the Aquaculture component involved in the fisheries project.
“We have been discussing, and just as of last week, we were looking at the fact that the program itself is two million dollars, but the grant component is US$800,000, and it did not make sense because we have to look at impact. You mentioned impact, so we have increased that allocation from US$800,000 to US$ 1.2 million, so there will be more beneficiaries.”
According to a press release, Madam Tarvorath says the World Bank is working with officials of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority to build a bigger program, which will also include Women in Aquaculture.
“The second thing we have done is getting aquaculture into the program, so we are working with NaFAA to build a bigger program to include women in Agriculture.”
At the same time, she notes that the World Bank is extremely excited to reach the official launch of the Women Empowerment Grant for Liberian Fishmongers.
She calls for increased women’s participation in the Aquaculture sector, as it is within the marine sector, and urges successful Fishmongers to make use of the grant opportunity by improving their businesses to transform their livelihoods.
Moreover, officially launching the women empowerment grant program, the Chairman of the Board of NaFAA, Agriculture Minister Dr. Alexander Nuetah, challenges the qualified Fishmongers to use the grant as a game-changer to ensuring a better future for themselves.
Dr. Nuetah describes the grant provided by the World Bank to the implementing agency Conservation International as an opportunity to transform lives of fishmongers in Montserrado, Grand Cape Mount, Margibi, and Grand Bassa Counties.
Commenting on the grant disbursement strategy and implementation, the Finance Director of Conservation International, implementing agency of the World Bank, Mr. Mathais Okoku, discloses that out of the six thousand applications, only 1,400 fishmongers were successful following a thorough scrutiny process representing 25% of the applications received.
Moreover, Mr. Okoku says the successful candidates will undergo pre-disbursement training, which is a prerequisite to receiving the grant. He also notes that each beneficiary will sign a commitment and attestation form, containing the amount and budget breakdown.
Mr. Okoku explains that a digital Beneficiary database including photo, name, phone number, address, and amount will be set up to aid future tracking, and a mobile payment process will be used, adding that a third-party verification would be undertaken to verify the beneficiary phone numbers.
The Acting Director General of NaFAA, William Y. Boeh, acknowledges the resilience of women fishmongers whose hard work sustains families across coastal communities, strengthens local economies, and ensures food security.
Director Boeh states that investing in women to strengthen their financial capacity in fisheries governance will build resilience in the future of coastal communities.
Meanwhile, providing an overview of the Women Fishmongers Empowerment Grant Program, LSMFP Social Development Specialist Lovette Seidi Sie, says, “As it relates to the grant selection process, a committee was established to guarantee a fair, objective, and transparent process.”
She continues that the committee comprised a 15-member expert panel with diverse backgrounds in finance, fisheries, enterprise development, and environmental safeguards to ensure impartiality and adherence to the set grant criteria.
She adds that strict conflict-of-interest checks were enforced, requiring all committee members to desist from disclosing any affiliations that could compromise objectivity, and there is also a robust Grievance Redress Mechanism in place to address grant-related concerns and uphold fairness throughout the selection process. Press Release
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