UNICEF Raises Concerns Over Growing Poverty, Calls for Stronger Social Protection in Nigeria

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed concerns over increasing poverty in Nigeria, highlighting the need to strengthen the country’s social protection system.

This was outlined in a communique jointly signed by UNICEF Country Representative Cristian Munduate, EU Ambassador to Nigeria Samuela Isopi, and Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun.

The communique followed the 3rd Edition of the Social Protection Cross Learning Summit held in Abuja on Friday.

The communique emphasized that Nigeria, as Africa’s most populous country, faces significant challenges in human capital development, including deficiencies in health, education, nutrition, water, hygiene, sanitation, and child protection.

It called for a comprehensive and effective social protection strategy to address these issues.

“In response to these challenges, the Government of Nigeria introduced a cash transfer program, providing 25,000 Naira over a three-month period to poor and vulnerable households.

This initiative aims to alleviate immediate economic pressures and mitigate the socio-economic impact of recent economic reforms.

“Our goal is to create a comprehensive support network that addresses the multifaceted needs of children and families, ultimately leading to improved outcomes in health, education, and overall well-being.

We must work together to bridge gaps and strengthen coordination,” the communique stated.

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, emphasized the importance of integrated social protection systems, stating that Nigeria is committed to ensuring access to social protection for all and removing barriers to these services.

“The government is engaged to implement, with support from relevant stakeholders, including the Social Protection Development Partner Group, the agreed action points from the summit,” Edun said.

UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, on behalf of the Social Protection Development Partners Group, stressed that “Social protection is crucial in realizing the rights of every child.”

She underscored that child-sensitive social protection is essential to ensuring that every child reaches their full potential.

“There is a need to ensure stronger linkages between social protection and essential social services with a focus on health, education, and nutrition.

Despite advancements, social protection coverage remains low, with only 7 percent of children covered. Coordination mechanisms are weak, leading to fragmentation and inefficiency.

Therefore, the summit aims to generate actionable insights and foster collaboration among key players to enhance coverage, coordination, and financing of social protection interventions,” Munduate said.

The Nigerian government, UNICEF, and partners reaffirmed their commitment to advancing social protection aligned with essential services for comprehensive support.

The communique included a pledge to introduce Universal Child Benefit and increase public spending on social protection by 2 percent to reduce multidimensional poverty and promote equitable development.