The International Labour Organisation ILO, in collaboration with UNICEF under the European Union-funded Supporting Sustainable Social Protection System in Nigeria (SUSI) project is organising a five-day “Transform” leadership training on social protection in Abuja the nation’s capital.
In a message, the Country Director of the ILO, Ms Vanessa Phala, said the International Labour Organisation ILO is working closely with the Nigerian government in developing policies that would strengthen the reach of social protection to Nigerians.
Phala stated that the five-day Transform Leadership Training is for policymakers and implementers of social protection in Nigeria.
She said that the world has continued to experience multiple and overlapping crises like economic uncertainty, climate-related disasters, health emergencies, conflict, and rising inequality adding that countries with stronger and more inclusive social protection systems are better able to protect their people, preserve livelihoods and promote economic recovery.
This is why strengthening social protection remains central to the ILO’s mandate and to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly the commitment to leave no one behind.
“Today’s gathering is particularly significant because it brings together senior policymakers and implementers who shape the direction of social protection in Nigeria.
“The decisions taken by institutions represented in this room influence the lives of millions of Nigerians, particularly those facing poverty, vulnerability, unemployment, disability, old age, displacement and economic shocks.
“The world continues to experience multiple and overlapping crises—economic uncertainty, climate-related disasters, health emergencies, conflict, and rising inequality.
“These challenges reinforce one important lesson: countries with stronger and more inclusive social protection systems are better able to protect their people, preserve livelihoods, and promote economic recovery.
“This is why strengthening social protection remains central to the ILO’s mandate and to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly the commitment to leave no one behind,” she said.
She stressed that “TRANSFORM”, is more than a training programme saying it is a leadership initiative that challenges men to think differently about how social protection systems are designed, coordinated, financed, and delivered.
“Over the next five days, you will explore practical approaches to strengthening social protection systems, improving policy coherence, promoting institutional coordination, enhancing financing strategies, and ensuring that programmes reach those who need them most.
“However, knowledge alone is not enough. The real measure of success will be how the lessons from this training are translated into improved policies, stronger institutions, better coordination across sectors, and tangible improvements in the lives of people across Nigeria.”
Describing the participants as senior officials, uniquely positioned to champion reforms, strengthen collaboration across government institutions and build social protection systems that are inclusive, efficient, transparent, and resilient.
Phala added “the ILO believes that universal social protection is both a human right and a powerful driver of inclusive economic growth, decent work, social justice, and national stability.
“This conviction is reflected in the ILO’s standards, including the Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202), which provides practical guidance for countries seeking to progressively achieve universal social protection.
“I therefore encourage each participant to actively engage throughout this training, share experiences openly, learn from one another, and build lasting professional networks that will continue long after this programme has ended.”
In an interview with Voice of Nigeria, Mrs Chinyere Emeka-Anuna, the Senior Programme Officer for the ILO, emphasised that the ILO considers social protection as a human rights issue and to make sure that this right is realised, “we need people with the right capacities to be able to form policy decisions and make social protection accessible to people.
“We also need people who have the right capacities to implement. It’s not only about having policies, but it’s also about implementing policies,”
The journey towards producing Transform-certified trainers which she said started in October, November last year started with a two-day awareness creation on what Transform is all about for policymakers, with participants drawn from the MDAs, Permanent Secretaries, Directors and also from the four focal States of Abia, Oyo, Benue and Sokoto.
Speaking on the challenges identified as limiting Nigeria’s social protection pursuit, Mrs Emeka-Anuna, identified what she called three major challenges.
“I will quickly mention three major challenges. First of all is the capacity, which is why we are doing this training to be able to address those capacity gaps because you know that social protection is not something or is not a program implemented by just one stakeholder.
“There are different stakeholders. We have CSOs, we have MDAs, we have international partners, we have all, so we want to make sure that the relevant partners (6:13) have the right capacities to be able to implement the social protection policy and other related policies that inform or affect social protection schemes.
“The second major challenge is the challenge of coordination, there are different stakeholders, we seem to have people doing their own things in silos, so, coordination is also a major issue.
“Then, the third and major one is the issue of finances. You know, the physical space is constrained, and social protection is a right, but it also demands money to be able to fulfil that right,” she stated.
