As part of the European Union Agents for Citizens-driven Transformation’s “Inclusive Citizen-led Engagement and Accountability System for Social Protection” project, Lagos Civil Society Participation for Development, a network body for Civil Society Organizations in Lagos State, has launched its Citizens-Led Accountability Mechanism intervention on social protection.
Representatives from particular Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of the Lagos State government participated in the initiative, which started with a four-day training for CSOs with the purpose of improving an accountability framework for social protection in Lagos State.
The Women Liberation and Transformation Group, LEAP Africa, the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities, and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project were partners in its implementation, which was funded by EU-ACT.
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The Chairman, Board of Trustees of LACSOP, Ayo Adebusoye, while addressing CSO partners at the training session iterated on the need for civil society leaders to work in collaboration with the Lagos State government to ensure an effective inclusive accountability mechanism is in a place where citizens can give feedback on progress on the implementation of the social protection policy which was approved in 2020 and launched earlier this year.
Adebusoye explained that the project by LACSOP is aimed at “sustaining the impacts of the social protection programs in the state and ensuring that the social protection policy in the state is fully implemented towards eradicating poverty.”
Adebusoye stressed that “the core components of the policy is the mechanism of the civil society to be able to give independent monitoring and evaluation to ensure that the policy works, is effective, and inclusive for most vulnerable groups,” adding, “all hands must be on deck to ensure that the quality of SP programs by the government are effectively carried out and benefits the citizens.”
The General Manager of the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs, Mr Dare Dairo, while giving his remark at the workshop, commended LACSOP for building the capacity of members of the disability community on how to engage state actors in promoting their rights.
Dairo who shared that the Lagos State government has shown its commitment to improving the well-being of PWDs in the state with the passage of the disability law over 10 years ago, noted that the state would continue to advance the rights of PWDs.
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In her remark, the Director Social Protection Coordinating Department, Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Mrs Oluwakemi Adedeji, who was represented by Mrs Ayodele Fajemibola, said the state government is currently onboarding poor and vulnerable households in 5 local government areas of the state into the social register, to enable them to access cash transfers and relevant social protection programmes.
The 4-day training which was held in Ikeja, Lagos, had in attendance CSOs working on Social Protection issues in Lagos State.
