The Child Nutrition and Social Protection (CNSP) Project has entered a new phase of growth and decentralisation, with a clear target to reach 30,000 beneficiaries in 2026.
As of the end of 2025, the project had successfully registered 10,812 beneficiaries across its four participating provinces; East New Britain, Simbu, Western, and Madang.
This was announced at the 2026 CNSP Component Management Unit 2 (CMU 2) Plenary Workshop in Port Moresby yesterday.
The week-long workshop, held under the theme “Scale Back and Scale Up,” brings together national and provincial teams to reflect on progress made and plan for 2026.
To support this target, the Department for Community Development and Religion (DFCDR) as a custodian of CNSP Project CMU 2, signed a Service Level Agreement with MiBank to strength the decentralisation of project implementation at the sub-national level.
This agreement will also strengthen Management Information System (MIS) data and MiBank Beneficiary Accounts data.
DFCDR Secretary Jerry Ubase, in signing the agreement, thanked MiBank for its support and said the partnership will help meet the 2026 target.
Mr Ubase also acknowledged the efforts of provincial implementation teams and the national CMU 2 team for the progress made in the provinces.
“From this year onwards, provincial teams will be scaled up, while the national team will focus on coordination to ensure effective implementation of the project,” he said.
Following a mid-term review last year, the project expanded beneficiary eligibility from children aged 0–2 to 0–5 years, doubled quarterly cash grants from K30 to K60 per beneficiary, and increased the number of Community Development Workers (CDWs) to over 140, with monthly allowances increased from K400 to K600.
Project CMU 2 Manager Joseph Klapat credited the Secretary’s leadership for the project’s achievements to date and outlined clear directions for transitioning responsibilities from the national to sub-national levels.
Participants at the workshop include Provincial Community Development Advisors, Provincial Project Coordinators, CDW Coordinators, Local-Level Government Managers, and national CMU 2 project staff.
Provincial project coordinators presented their 2025 reflections, highlighting progress made, challenges faced, and proposed ways forward.
The plenary workshop will conclude on Friday with the development of 2026 implementation plans and budgets for both national and provincial teams.