By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has urged Nigerian policymakers and practitioners to strengthen the country’s social protection systems through evidence-based policies and well-coordinated implementation strategies.

The ILO Country Director for Nigeria, Dr. Vanessa Phala, made the call at the opening of an eight-day capacity-building workshop for policymakers in Abuja.

The programme, organised by the ILO in collaboration with UNICEF and funded by the European Union (EU), aims to deepen Nigeria’s social protection framework through the Transform Training of Trainers (ToT) initiative.

Phala said the training was designed to empower policymakers and practitioners to take ownership of social protection delivery in a sustainable and inclusive manner.

“We have done a lot in supporting the development and revision of Nigeria’s social protection policy. But now, we are focusing on building people who will drive the process,” she stated.

She added that the ILO and UNICEF were implementing social protection projects in Abia, Sokoto, Oyo, and Benue states to ensure systems are locally driven and responsive to citizens’ needs.

“Our collaboration with UNICEF ensures that interventions are context-specific. We want every policy and programme to reflect the realities of Nigerians,” Phala said.

She explained that the training would help close capacity gaps among practitioners and enable them to translate policies into practical actions that improve social welfare outcomes.

“This initiative is about turning policy from paper to practice. It’s about giving Nigerians the competence to implement social protection that truly changes lives,” she added.

Also speaking, the ILO Africa Coordinator for Transform, Mr. Felix Mwenge, said the training would create a network of skilled trainers to sustain and replicate learning across the country.

“We are building a system that trains its own trainers. This is how we deepen knowledge, ownership, and long-term sustainability of social protection in Nigeria,” he said.

Mwenge noted that the initiative is part of a continental effort to institutionalise social protection capacity and ensure African countries build resilient, knowledge-based systems.

“Our goal is to strengthen local expertise so that every country, including Nigeria, can sustain social protection without relying solely on external support,” he explained.

He further emphasised the need for increased investment in social protection, highlighting the role of management information systems and social registers.

“We need to create fiscal space for more funding in social protection. When you lift people out of poverty, harmony is restored, and inequalities are reduced. The widening gap between the rich and the poor in Africa — and Nigeria in particular — must be addressed through strong social protection interventions,” Mwenge said.

The Project Manager of the ILO-UNICEF initiative, Mr. Emmanuel Danjuma, explained that the training is part of the Supporting Sustainable Social Protection Systems (SUSI) project, funded by the EU.

“The SUSI project builds the capacity of policymakers and implementers in Abia, Benue, Oyo, Sokoto, and at the federal level in Abuja to manage social protection effectively,” he stated.