Nigeria’s Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, now serving as the Chairman of the ECOWAS Inter-Ministerial Committee on Social Protection, has underscored the critical need for member states of the Economic Community of West Africa, ECOWAS, to address humanitarian and poverty challenges through the implementation of the newly adopted Regional Social Protection Framework.
During the closing session of the hybrid inter-ministerial meeting in Banjul, Gambia, where the ECOWAS regional social protection framework and operational plan were adopted, Dr. Edu emphasized that the comprehensive adoption and effective implementation of the social protection framework were paramount in overcoming the humanitarian and poverty challenges prevalent in West Africa.
In an official statement released by the Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Rasheed Olanrewaju Zubair said the minister described the meeting as pivotal, noting its potential to amplify the ongoing efforts of the ECOWAS Commission, supported by various partners, in establishing social protection instruments within the sub-region. Dr. Edu asserted that social protection is a fundamental human right and a socio-economic necessity, particularly highlighted by its stabilizing role during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlighting the current status of social protection in the ECOWAS region, Dr. Edu revealed alarming statistics, indicating that the coverage of social protection is the lowest on the continent, with an average of approximately 17% of the population receiving at least one form of social protection benefits. Furthermore, she pointed out that the spending on social protection in member states is as low as 1% of the GDP, falling significantly below international standards.
Drawing attention to Nigeria’s progress in social protection, Dr. Edu acknowledged the nation’s strides in implementing high-impact interventions covering 15 million households and 61 million individuals through conditional cash transfers. She commended President Bola Tinubu’s leadership in this regard and outlined Nigeria’s comprehensive policies, structures, and intervention programs aimed at poverty alleviation.
Dr. Edu stressed the urgency of the Social Protection Framework for West Africa, emphasizing its role as a guide for ECOWAS and member states in designing and delivering effective social protection interventions. She emphasized that the framework aimed to enhance regional collaboration, providing guidelines to address common cross-border socio-economic challenges and foster poverty reduction.
In concluding the session, Dr. Edu highlighted that the time for action is now and emphasized the framework’s contribution to achieving social protection-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets, particularly SDG target 1.3, which focuses on implementing nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all.
The closing ceremony also featured commendations from the Vice President of the Gambia, Muhammad Jallow, who lauded member states’ commitment to social protection in the region. Jallow highlighted the framework’s objectives, including addressing financing, coverage, climate risks, and informality in regional economies, urging the mainstreaming of social protection into annual budgets.
The ceremony, attended by ministers responsible for social protection in eleven countries, marked a significant step toward advancing social protection initiatives within the ECOWAS region.
