Social Protection Framework, Catalyst For Reducing Poverty, Averting Vulnerability – UNICEF

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UMUAHIA  – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has described social protection framework as a major policy lever that reduces poverty and vulnerability in children and the vulnerable people in the world.

According to the world body, the framework is also geared towards enhancing human capital development in Nigeria and ultimately contributes to the economic prosperity of Nigerians.

Speaking at an engagement meeting in Umuahia with the officials of UNICEF and Abia State government on sustainable and innovative social protection systems, the UNICEF Social Policy manager, Ms Zarema Yerzhanova explained that UNICEF believes that social protection in addition contributes to economic future and prosperity of any nation.

”Currently, we (UNICEF) are working together with partners at the federal level to revise the national social protection policy framework. I think that our project and our engagement in Abia State also come timely because Abia government is committed to the improved social protection systems.

“We also believe that such foundational work document is necessary to improve coordination, to improve planning and of course financing of social protection programmes under the leadership of the Ministry of Poverty Reduction and Social Protection in Abia State.

“We do see a strong role of different ministries, departments and agencies already engaging in different activities and interventions on social protection agenda in Abia State and of course today we are happy to discuss with the Ministry of Justice on our plans to advance the agenda on legislation support for the social protection, which is usually the core in any country to make social protection effective.

“And we also would like to acknowledge Abia’s progress around coordination. We’re very happy that the government established social protection council and I think it’s a great step to improve coordination around the sector, the wider engagement on the social protection agenda in the state”, the UNICEF Social Policy Manager, declared.

In her speech earlier, the Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection in the state, Mrs Ngozi Blessing Felix, stated that the government officials met with the UNICEF representatives, their critical partners, to brainstorm on the project currently ongoing in the state, adding that the project, attracted by UNICEF, is the European Union-funded support programme for sustainable and innovative social protection systems

According to her, a Bill to formulate social protection legal framework for Abia would be sent to the Abia State House of Assembly, stressing that the Bill if passed into law would ensure the sustainability of social protection policies, interventions programmes among others.

“We want to ensure that Abia State is not left behind and that we’re able to guarantee sustainability of social protection policies, interventions programmes. This Bill is going to come into play, hopefully, by the beginning of September 2026”, she said.

Mrs Felix informed that Abia and three other states namely: Benue, Oyo and Sokoto are the four pilot states selected for the engagements which included the arrangement to ensure the functionality of social register and functional social register.

“I know that most of us have heard about the social register, but we want to make it functional and not just functional but also integrate more poor and vulnerable households in the register. And that is one of the key result areas of delivery under this project.

“The second area is for us to have improved capacity of staff and policy makers on social protection. And here sitting around the table we have policy makers in the room and we need to improve capacity and by improving capacity we mean by ensuring that you receive the requisite trainings that can support the skills that you have in the delivery of social protection.

“Also, persons who are chronically ill, persons with disabilities, persons disadvantaged in one area or the other in terms of health care services, education, and other forms of vulnerabilities.

“There are about 47 measures that we have been able to identify under the Abia State social protection policy to be able to ensure that these are the persons, the areas that we’re looking at. If somebody falls into that area, then they are regarded as being vulnerable”, she declared.

Speaking in separate interviews, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Mr Ikechukwu Uwanna and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Uzor Nwachukwu said the Bill for social protection would be sent to the Abia House of Assembly before September this year, adding that the traditional rulers in the state would be sensitise to identify and select vulnerable persons in their domains.