UKAID FUNDED PROJECT ORGANISES 3-days DISSEMINATION MEETING FOR ZAMFARA STAKEHOLDERS ON SOCIAL PROTECTION
UKAID FUNDED PROJECT ORGANISES 3-days DISSEMINATION MEETING FOR ZAMFARA STAKEHOLDERS ON SOCIAL PROTECTION
The UKaid funded project Expanding Social Protection for Inclusion Development (ESPID) has conducted three day dissemination meeting on its assessment report with Zamfara CSOs and other key stakeholders.
The meeting which held at Bafra Hotel Kaduna was organised by Save the Children International an (NGO) been funded by the UKAid through Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO).
The meeting has about 30 participants drowned from the Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs), Civil Society Organisations(CSOs) and the Media as well as resource persons from various organizations.
In her welcome remark, Mrs Mariam Abass El-Yakub, the Gender and Social Inclusion Specialist of the ESPID programme, said that the meeting was to strategically develop pathways of integrating and using findings of the report for improved social protection.
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“Sector service delivery and also to build an action plan and next step following the recommendations contained in the report.
“I appreciate all stakeholders in the state for their contributions towards achieving effective social protection programme in the state” she said.
El-Yakub called for proper coordination from SP implementation MDAs in order to ensure effective inclusion of all marginalized vulnerable groups in the state into social protection activities and programmes.
In his remark, Alhaji Hamza Salihu, the Coordinator, State Operations Coordination Unit (SOCU), described the meeting as a timely and welcome development.
Salihu who is the Director Budget, state Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning said “this is inline with the effort that state government have been making through the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning as responsible ministry for coordinating Social Protection programmes in the state.”
According to him United Nations funded project, World Food Programme (WFP) in collaboration with Zamfara Government has distributed cash, food items, medicines and other household items to 5022 Internally Displaced Persons households.
He noted that the pilot programme that covers the two local government areas of Anka and Gusau carried out between January to June 2021.
“This was carried out by the state National Social Safety Net Programme through the state SOCU office and State Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
“Each of the 5022 households have been supported with over N26,000 monthly for a period of six months.
“Though, the programme is a pilot scheme, it has yielded positive results in uplifting the socio economic lives of the beneficiaries, we are hoping to expand the programme to the remaining 12 LGAs of the state”, Salihu explained.
In a vote of thanks, Alhaji Tukur Shehu, the Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs Disaster Management and Social Development commended SCI and other relevant stakeholders for their contributions to the success of Social Protection activities in the state.
Shehu said the ministry will continue to partner with SCI and other relevant stakeholders to ensure effective inclusion of all vulnerable group in all the activities of the ministry.
“On behalf of the participants of this meeting, I appreciate the SCI, FCDO and UKaid for organising the meeting.
“We are going to utilize all what we have learned from various deliberations for the development of our dear state and the society in general.”, Perm Sec added
