By Itoro Ekwere
In a bid to ensure a better life for the people at the grassroots especially most vulnerable who are worst hit of the economic situation of the Country, the New Initiative for Social Development (NISD) under the ACT NAIJA Project has organized one day state level dialogue to promote transparency and accountability in social protection programs across Ekiti State.
The project which is co-funded by the European Union and being Implemented by the consortium of three partners, New Initiative for Social Development (NISD, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), and Bread for the World (BfTW), Germany , aimed to ensure that vulnerable populations, including women, youths, and persons with disabilities, have access to social protection services.
Racheal Olori, the NISD Program Officer, said the dialogue aimed to address pressing issues surrounding the policies of social protection in our state. The projects will benefit the state at large, but special attention and programs will be implemented in three local government areas – Ado, Oye, and Irepodun/Ifelodun.
According to her, the rationale behind this state dialogue is to share best practices to identify the gaps and barriers in social protection in our state, compare with others, and look for ways forward to strengthen the partnership among the government, the SCOs, and the communities.
She moved forward to say that about 25% households in Ekiti State have reported benefiting from the social protection programs, which is one of the best amongst the seven states implementing these programs.
During the event, panel discussions were set up to address the Policy, Financing, and Inclusive Social Protection in Ekiti and Institutional Reforms, Innovative, and Future of Social Protection in Ekiti. Panelists in the former include Mrs. Olukemi Akinleye, Mr. Abiodun Ariyo, and Mr. Ogundele O.S., while the latter includes Miss. Oba Adebola and Mr. Abiodun Ariyo.
The panel discussions exposed weaknesses militating against the adequate execution of the social protection programs in the state, such as weak coordination of activities, improper data storage, poor road networks to access those in underserved communities, among others.
The Act Naija Initiative, which aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 16 and 17, has the overall objective of enhancing dialogue, collaboration, and engagement between civil society and the government around inclusive social protection policies, monitoring, and accountability.