Speaking at the third edition of the Social Protection Cross-Learning Summit in Abuja, Massimo De Luca, Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, stressed the importance of social protection in providing safety nets and supporting the most vulnerable households.
With Nigeria’s poverty rate standing at 46% according to the World Bank’s 2023 report, De Luca emphasized the need for investments in social protection, fostering resilience and ensuring equal opportunities for all individuals to contribute to society.
The EU has committed €46 million to support Nigeria’s social protection sector from 2021 to 2027, focusing on system strengthening, social safety nets, and shock responsive social registers. The intervention will also target climate change affected communities in three states in the North East.
The summit, organized by the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Social Protection Development Partner Group, aimed to promote social protection as a fundamental pillar for human capital development, economic stability, and inclusive growth.