Over 7 million residents to benefit from social protection program in Kano

NO fewer than 7 million residents across 1.7 million households have been captured under the Kano State Social Service Register (SSR) as part of ongoing efforts to improve the effectiveness of social protection programmes in the state.

Making this known,the  Acting Permanent Secretary of the Kano State Ministry of Planning and Budget (MoPB), Alhaji Abdulmumin Ajumawa, stated this during a two-day meeting of the Social Protection Technical Working Group (TWG) in Kano.

He said that the register is a robust database that identifies and captures vulnerable individuals and households for targeted social interventions aimed at reducing poverty and improving livelihoods.

“The SSR ensures that deserving individuals receive cash transfers, empowerment packages, and other poverty alleviation support, enabling them to live more dignified and productive lives,”

According to him,” The state government, led by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, has developed various policies and programmes to ensure inclusive access to social benefits”.

He then added that” The   establishment of the Kano State Social Protection Agency (KASPA) under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs is a practical example,”

Speaking at the occasion, the Managing Director of KASPA, Dr Fatima Abubakar,  reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to championing programmes that uplift children, women, and other vulnerable populations in Kano.

She stressed KASPA’s plan to strengthen partnerships with UNICEF, civil society organisations (CSOs), the media, and other stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of social protection strategies.

Dr Abubakar therefore added that
“One of the critical initiatives is the Universal Child Grant, which plays a pivotal role in combating poverty, child malnutrition, and other threats to child development,”

In a technical presentation titled “Child-Sensitive Social Protection (CSSP): Gaps and Opportunities”, the TWG Secretary, Dalhatu Danladi, highlighted several accomplishments under the state’s social protection framework.

They include cash transfers to poor households, school feeding programmes, health insurance expansion, budgetary increases for social services, implementation of N-Power and KASPA programmes, among others.

Stakeholders at the meeting reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring that social protection in Kano State is inclusive, well-coordinated, and sustainable.