The United Nations International Children’s Fund has confirmed Sokoto State as one of the few states that has obtained a roadmap for the successful implementation of social protection activities.
A social protection officer of UNICEF, Malam Isa Ibrahim, stated this during the Joint Sustainable Development Goals Social Protection Project close-out meeting with stakeholders in Sokoto.
He explained that with successful achievements recorded at the end of the project, the state government has obtained a clear guide and policy direction of social protection activities with clear targets of vulnerable persons in the state.
Ibrahim said, “With complete framework on ground and competent government personnel empowered with right skills during the closed project, we are confident that even without developmental partners, Sokoto government will implement successful social protection programme without sourcing for external support.
“We secured government commitment to develop social protection policy and commitment in the improved budgetary allocation to social protection.
“Before the present project, various social interventions were implemented in Sokoto State. However, this programme was able to coordinate and gathered all key ministries and departments with critical actors in a single platform.
“Mechanisms have been formulated with empowered manpower for successful cash transfer exercise, health supports and other social protection aspects with correct sustainability plans.”
According to him, United Nations considered Sokoto state to pilot social protection scheme in recognition of the poverty index from authorities which rated the state among high prevalence areas.
He noted that poverty deprived citizens with different aspects of living from education, health and others which were detrimental to human progress, stressing that vulnerables were targeted to improve thier living call conditions.
Ibrahim added that the programmes comprised cash transfer to education, especially for the girl child, enrollment of vulnerable individuals into the healthcare contributory scheme and other state social assistance initiatives.
Speaking also, the Programme Policy Officer of World Food Programme, Dr Akeem Olusola, said the efforts serve as a driver to standardized National Social Protection Policy in Nigeria as well improve collation in the National Safety Nets register.
Olusola dwelled on the cash disbursement procedures, beneficiaries identifications and other implementation strategies which he said were the best standard practices that ensure minimum hitches.
He noted that the two-year programme aimed at strengthening social protection in Nigeria with good implementations in Sokoto state with the hope to serve as a blueprint for other states to generate impacts through a combination of institutional approaches.
Earlier, Acting Permanent Secretary, Sokoto State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Arzika Bodinga, expressed appreciation over the success recorded in the programme noting it had broaden the state potentialities to implement right social protection activities.
Participants were drawn from the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Ministry of Budget and Planning, Ministry of Health and Sokoto State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency.
Others were Sokoto State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Sokoto State Zakkat and Endowment Commission, and Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency.
It was anchored by United Nations Children and Education Funds (UNICEF), International Labour Organisation (ILO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and World Food Programme (WFO).Sokoto state get clear roadmap for successful social protection programmes — UNICEF
