Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State remains committed to ensuring social protection not just a policy but a transformative tool for poverty reduction, equity, and resilience.

The Executive Secretary, Kaduna Social Investment Protection Agency (KADSIPA), Alhaji Sani Maikudi, made this known at the opening of a two-day workshop in Zaria.

Maukudi further said, “Gov. Uba Sani’s administration recognises the importance of continuously assessing and refining our policies to meet the evolving needs of our citizens.

‘’It is this commitment that has made workshops like this possible, where stakeholders come together to review, analyse, and improve critical frameworks like the Social Protection Policy.”

In her goodwill message, the Social Policy Officer of the Kaduna Field Office of UNICEF, Wakidara Mavis Akila, said the review was timely and highly welcomed, especially because of climate change.

She assured of UNICEF’s continuous support while congratulating KADSIPA and the state government for their commitment to the success of the programme.

The Project Coordinator of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Malam Muhammad Danhassan, appreciated the support of the state government to Civil Society Organisations.

He added that Human-Centered Design (HCD), should be mainstreamed and captured into the Social Protection Policy as this will ensure that beneficiaries were involved in all decision making process.

Summaya Hussein, the Citizens Co-Chair, OGP Technical Working Group, urged KADSIPA to strengthen social protection Systems and to also ensure that the policy touches the lives of the people.

She said, , ‘’We need to ensure that what we have on paper will reflect in the vulnerable families we are targeting.’’
The workshop, which was organised by KADSIPA, in collaboration with UNICEF, was aimed at reviewing the Kaduna State Social Protection Policy.

The policy, which was designed in 2020, had a three- year review as part of its guiding principles, for effective use of the policy document, to address emerging challenges and incorporating global best practices in the policy framework.

Representatives of relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the State, UNICEF, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition(GAIN), Open Governance Partnership (OGP) attended the workshop.

Also, Kaduna Social Protection Accountability Coalition (KADSPAC) and the Kaduna State chapter of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disability (JONAPWD) were represented.