ILO, UNICEF, EU, launch €13m initiative

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have launched the ‘Supporting Sustainable Social Protection Systems in Nigeria’ project.

Funded by the European Union (EU), the project, also called ‘SUSI’, seeks to bolster Nigeria’s social protection structures, ensuring more comprehensive coverage and aid for vulnerable groups across the country.

The Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS. Gautier Mignot said the project aims at supporting the expansion and digitalisation of the National Social Register (NSR) as an effective management information system with improved mechanisms, to make it a shock-responsive system and a tool for policy planning towards poverty reduction and interoperable with other existing related databases.

The Ambassador stressed the importance of social protection in addressing poverty reduction, empowering people, fostering social inclusion and promoting resilience in the face of emergencies.

According to the World Bank, almost 700 million people (8.5 per cent of the global population) live in extreme poverty – on less than $2.15 per day.The Bretton Woods organisation added that progress towards addressing poverty has remained slow with major setbacks because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nigeria, as the most populous nation in Africa, hosts quite a significant share of this population living in extreme poverty.

Government, at national and sub-national levels, have tried and keep trying, with the support of some international partners, to address this critical issue, mobilising some of the country’s resources for poverty reduction but this is a task that also requires a wide and efficient administrative machinery.

Despite the efforts, the Ambassador insisted that a lot remains to be done even though about 19.8 million poor Nigerians have been captured in the national social register to qualify for social protection allowances only a minority have submitted identity documents validated by the government.

Gautier noted that targeting and harmonizing all registers that record the poor and vulnerable in the country is another challenge that needs to be addressed.

The Ambassador said the National Social Register (NSR) supports the outreach, intake, registration, and determination of potential eligibility for one or more social programmes.

Gautier maintained that it is a gateway for people to register and be considered for potential inclusion in social programs and this is why it is so important to strengthen and digitalize it.

“Through our project, we will support the digital integrated system approach for social protection to inform policy and decision-making. The project will be implemented at the federal and state levels in Abia, Benue, Sokoto and Oyo states for three years. It has been carefully designed with our partners and government to have the maximum possible impact and help Nigeria build a robust and adaptable social protection system,” Gautier said.

To ensure the success of the efforts, Gautier added that a coordinated approach to address poverty reduction is necessary.The Ambassador noted that the launch of the project reflects the European Union’s unwavering commitment to supporting the Nigerian government’s efforts to meet its development and poverty reduction goals, enhancing Nigeria’s social protection frameworks, ensuring broader coverage and support for vulnerable populations, reducing inequalities and ensuring that no one is left behind which aligns with EU’s goals and efforts to promote sustainable development worldwide.

The Ambassador assured that with rumours of suspension or withdrawal of international cooperation, the EU will continue to partner with Nigeria to support it in its path towards sustainable progress and prosperity.

On his part, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Vitalis Obi, disclosed that the government in recent times has taken deliberate steps to strengthen the social protection framework through policy reforms, targeted interventions, and strategic partnerships.

He added that the engagement of the UNICEF, ILO and the German Agency for International Development Agency (GIZ) in the delivery of the components of the EU-SUSI programme is a step in the right direction, given the wealth of institutional capacities to be brought on board.

Highlighting the importance of policy and legal frameworks in sustaining social protection efforts, the ILO Country Director, Dr. Vanessa Phala said: “This project will not only expand coverage for vulnerable populations but also strengthen the legal and institutional frameworks necessary for a sustainable social protection system in Nigeria.”

The SUSI project aims to deliver key outcomes, including an improved National Social Register, enhanced capacity-building for policymakers, strengthened legal frameworks, and a more efficient social protection management information system.