THE European Union (EU) has urged the Nigerian government to allocate more resources to social protection programmes aiming to mitigate poverty and improve the welfare of vulnerable populations.
The head of cooperation of the EU delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Massimo De Luca, said this at the third edition of the Social Protection Cross-learning Summit (SPECS) held in Abuja on June 28.
De Luca said that social protection provided safety nets that ensured access to essential services for the country’s development, adding that investing in social protection would contribute meaningfully to society.
“Investing in social protection means investing in our collective future, fostering resilience, and ensuring that every individual has the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the society despite background, location or uncertainties,” De Luca said.
He noted that the EU was committed to collaborating with the federal government to address issues around poverty within the country.
De Luca added, “The EU is supporting Nigeria’s social protection sector with €46 million to strengthen the social protection system in the country. Already we are finalising processes with UNICEF and GIZ to implement the project in the focal states.
“This looks at interoperability of related database, and ensuring functional shock responsive social register, while supporting three states in the North-East with safety nets programme that targets climate change affected communities,” he said.
At the event, the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, said the federal government had rolled out programmes that targeted the vulnerable while working closely with the sub-national government for efficient disbursement.
“A key support element for the poor and vulnerable is the social intervention programme, which includes a $1.2 billion allocation for direct payments to households, with $800 million from the World Bank and $400 million from the Federal Government’s resources,” he added.
Kehinde Ogunyale tells stories by using data to hold power into account. You can send him a mail at [email protected] (jameskennyogunyale@gmail) or Twitter: Prof_KennyJames