By JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
The Kaduna Social Protection Accountability Coalition (KADSPAC), #OpenGov Youth Innovation Hub and Kaduna Local Government Accountability Mechanism (KADLGAM) facilitated a one-day technical session on Cascading Social Protection Capacity for Effective Advocacy and Social Accountability in Kaduna State.
Sumayya Abdullahi Hussaini, Team Lead on Social Protection made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Kaduna State.
The objectives of the technical session were to: mobilize and build the capacity of youths on social protection system strengthening, promoting wider youth buy-in and ownership of social protection advocacy and social accountability engagements, and raising awareness among youths about OGP commitments to social protection.
“The goodwill messages were delivered by the representative from UNICEF, SLF of PERL, representative of the Head of Kaduna State Social Investment Programme Agency (KADSIPA). The technical sessions were facilitated by Jessica Bartholomew, chairperson of KADSPAC, Yusuf Ishaku Goje, Head of Governance and Advocacy of Coalition of Associations for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment and Development (CALPED), and Head of KADSOCU and representative of KADRIMA with a closing Remarks by Sumayya Abdullahi Hussaini, lead of Social Protection at the #OpenGov Youth Innovation Hub.
“The participatory and interactive session covered the government overview of social protection, targeting, poverty and vulnerability, advocacy and social accountability and budget tracking. The interactions focused on ongoing activities, successes and challenges. There was exchange of ideas, experience-sharing and lessons learned on how to strengthen the social protection system in Kaduna State.
“In view of the improved understanding and capacity on social protection, the #OpenGov Youth Innovation Hub hereby resolved as follows:
“Step-down the social protection capacity gained to other Hub members and grassroots communities to mobilize wider stakeholders’ participation and engagement.
“Facilitate intensive training for the Hub members and other youths to leverage civic-tech and community engagement tools to advocate for accelerated social protection system strengthening.
“Support the mobilization of youths in the evidence-based delivery of the target milestones in the OGP State Action Plan (SAP III) commitment on social protection.
“Pay courtesy calls to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) implementing social protection to deepen the understanding of the youths on the various interventions and areas of partnership.
“Strengthen partnership with KADSPAC to facilitate more capacity building training on components of social protection and participate in the Coalition’s activities (both online and physical).
“Conduct quarterly review meetings to assess progress, collaboratively address challenges, and strategize the way forward in partnership with other stakeholders.
In attendance were distinguished guests including the Senior Special Assistant To The Governor on Gender and Inclusion (who also represented the new Head of Kaduna State Social Investment Programme Agency (KADSIPA)), representative of Kaduna State Residents Identify Management Agency (KADRIMA), the Point of Contact (PoC) of Open Government Partnership (OGP), State Lead Facilitator (SLF) of the Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), representative from UNICEF and Coordinator of Kaduna State Operations Coordinating Unit (KADSOCU).
Also present were the newly selected Co-chairs of the OGP Technical Working Groups (TWGs) on Open Budget, Open Contracting, Service Delivery in Health and Education, Social Protection and CS State Steering Committee (SSC) Co-chair. Others are members of the KADSPAC, KADLGAM, #OpenGov Youth Innovation Hub, some members of the TWG on Social Protection and the media.