Why we Organise a Three -day Training For Kaduna Coalition on Social Protection - STC

Aviashima Toom

The Organisers of the three-day capacity building training for members of Kaduna Social Protection Accountability Coalition (KADSPAC) on social protection has explained why they is need to do so.

A Non Governmental Organization, Save The Children, (STC) is currently implementing a Ukaid-Funded Programme called Child Development Grant Programme (CDGP) phase II while KADSPAC, is a coalition of Civil Society organisations and media practitioners working on social protection accountability and improved intervention programmes for poor and vulnerable citizens in Kaduna State.

Declaring the training open on Tuesday, Coordinator, Social Protection and Inclusion, Save the Children International, Eunice Victor said, the need to equip the social protection coalition with the knowledge and understanding of key concepts with regards to social protection promoted her organisation to put the training together.

For example, the poverty alleviation programme was a social protection programme, but many don’t know it was social protection until a policy document was developed by both the federal and Kaduna State Governments.

According to the Coordinator, the training would enable the participants to engage more effectively in the design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of social protection accountability in Kaduna State.

She said, while the National Policy on social protection captures Nigeria as a whole, it may not cover the peculiarity in Kaduna State, hence, the need to train the coalition members to enable them to be in the know of the social protection programmes suitable for the state where they engage.

She defined social protection as programmes and policies designed to protect individuals and households from shocks, stresses and risks and to reduce poverty and vulnerability of citizens arguing that, it is a right and not a privilege.

"It is important to add that, Nigeria approved its own National Social Protection policy in 2017 while Kaduna state developed and approved its own in August 2020, all geared towards lifting citizens from poverty and vulnerability in line with Sustainable Development Goals". She said.

Highlights of the workshop witnessed paper presentation from Prof. Mohammed Kabir, on "making the case for social protection: why invest in it?

Other were, Bukola Shaba, whose paper duels on "safeguarding priorities for media and communications", while Jessica Bartholomew, presented on the "poverty and vulnerability profile in Nigeria, and social protection responses"