In partnership with the Katsina State government, the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has successfully enrolled 123,575 children in the state into the Nigeria Learning Passport program (NLP). This is coming at a time when the European Union called on both federal and state governments to prioritize funding for Social Protection programs, recognizing their role in alleviating Poverty across the country. During a media event in Katsina, Rahama Farah, UNICEF Chief, Kano field office, shared that the NLP platform has given numerous children the opportunity to access alternative learning methods.
The Nigeria Learning Passport provides a Digital Learning experience that is accessible both online and offline, ensuring uninterrupted access to high-quality education. According to Farah, the enrollment of 123,575 young students in the state accounts for 11 percent of the total nationwide enrollment in the online e-learning platform Enrollment of this figures in the state spans over two years with the help of UNICEF and various partners like the World Bank, the European Union, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) through collaboration on AGILE and BESDA projects.
Social protection serves as a vital lifeline.
He detailed the establishment of 500 community learning centres in 10 key local government areas of the state, along with the distribution of 2,760 solar radios and memory sticks to aid in alternative learning methods within the state. Following recent events, Mr. Massimo De Luca, the Head of Cooperation for the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, emphasized the importance of social protection during the third edition of the Social Protection Cross-Learning Summit (SPECS) in Abuja. He highlighted how ensuring protection serves as a vital lifeline for vulnerable families, offering them stability and optimism for the future.
This summit, which focused on “Social Protection Towards Human Capital Development, was hosted by the Federal Ministry of Finance partnered with the Social Protection Development Partner Group (DPG). De Luca emphasized the importance of social protection in facilitating access to key services like education, healthcare, and nutrition, ultimately contributing to human capital development. De Luca believes that such initiative plays a crucial role in maintaining economic stability, alleviating poverty, and promoting inclusive growth, all of which are essential for the country’s comprehensive progress.
Ensuring social protection tailored to children is essential.
De Luca emphasized the importance of investing in social protection during his speech, citing a World Bank report that estimated that 46 percent of Nigeria’s population, representing about 104 million people, were living in poverty in 2023. He stressed that such investments are crucial for building a better future and promoting resilience. The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun highlighted the significance of having interconnected social protection systems, noting that the ultimate objective is to establish a holistic support structure catering to the diverse requirements of children and families. This approach is envisaged to result in enhanced outcomes across health, education, and general welfare.
Edun urged for collaborative actions to close disparities and enhance cooperation. Speaking on behalf of the Partners Group for Social Protection Development, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate emphasized the importance of social protection in upholding the rights of all children. Ensuring a tailored protection for children is essential for unlocking their maximum capabilities. He praised the government for making substantial progress in implementing various programs and establishing a unified registry. Nevertheless, he called for more strengthened connections between social Welfare and crucial social amenities, specifically prioritizing health care, academics, and dietary needs.
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Moreover, the government and its relevant partners in Nigeria have been working diligently in recent years to provide social protection to all residents by establishing a social protection floor. The government has prioritized key objectives which include creating an inclusive protection system that considers gender and age, providing a safety net for all Nigerians to live with dignity. Also, expanding the protection to cover workers in the informal economy, lifting 100 million people out of poverty by enhancing access to protection and job opportunities, improving the protection systems in all 36 states, and reinforcing the legal foundations for social assistance programs.