The Child Nutrition and Social Protection (CNSP) Project has set an ambitious target to reach 30,000 beneficiaries in 2026 as it enters a new phase focused on growth and decentralization.

As of the end of 2025, the project had registered 10,812 beneficiaries across four participating provinces—East New Britain, Simbu, Western, and Madang provinces.

The update was announced during the 2026 CNSP Component Management Unit 2 (CMU 2) Plenary Workshop, which opened in Port Moresby on Monday.

The week-long workshop, held under the theme “Scale Back and Scale Up,” brings together national and provincial teams to review progress and plan implementation strategies for the year ahead.

To support the expanded target, the Department for Community Development and Religion (DFCDR), as custodian of the CNSP Project’s CMU 2, signed a Service Level Agreement with MiBank.

The agreement is aimed at strengthening decentralized project implementation at the sub-national level and improving the integration of Management Information System (MIS) data with MiBank beneficiary account records.

DFCDR Secretary Jerry Ubase thanked MiBank for its continued support, saying the partnership would play a critical role in achieving the 2026 beneficiary target. He also acknowledged the efforts of provincial implementation teams and the national CMU 2 team for progress made to date.

“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,” Mr. Ubase said.

Following a mid-term review conducted last year, the project expanded eligibility from children aged 0–2 years to 0–5 years. Quarterly cash grants were doubled from K30 to K60 per beneficiary, while the number of Community Development Workers (CDWs) increased to more than 140. Monthly allowances for CDWs were also raised from K400 to K600.

CMU 2 Project Manager Joseph Klapat credited the Secretary’s leadership for the project’s achievements and outlined plans to progressively transfer responsibilities from the national level to provincial administrations.

Workshop participants include Provincial Community Development Advisors, Provincial Project Coordinators, CDW Coordinators, Local-Level Government Managers, and national CMU 2 staff. Provincial coordinators presented reflections on 2025, highlighting achievements, challenges, and proposed strategies moving forward.

The plenary workshop is expected to conclude on Friday with the finalization of national and provincial implementation plans and budgets for 2026.