ActNaija Hosts High-Level Dialogue on Accelerating Inclusive Social Protection in Delta State
Asaba, Delta State – September 17, 2025 — ActNaija! in collaboration with the Delta State Ministry of Economic Planning, today convened the Delta State Dialogue on Social Protection with the theme “Accelerating Inclusive Social Protection in Delta State: Building Stronger Systems for Poverty Reduction and Resilience.”
The one-day high-level dialogue brought together senior government officials, lawmakers, civil society organizations, development partners, the media, and grassroots stakeholders to assess, align, and strengthen Delta State’s social protection framework.
Organized as part of the implementation of the Civil Society Action to Strengthen Social Protection in Nigeria (ActNaija!) project, the event was implemented by a consortium of three organizations: Bread for the World – Germany, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), and New Initiative for Social Development (NISD). The project is co-funded by the European Union in Nigeria under its Human Rights and Support to Civil Society in Nigeria Programme.
At the opening session, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Government House, Hon. Chris Osakwe representing the Deputy Governor, Chief (Sir) Monday Onyeme, reaffirmed Delta State’s commitment to inclusive governance, resilient systems, and poverty alleviation through interventions such as ND-CARES, the Widows Welfare Scheme, and livelihood support programmes under Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s MORE Agenda.
On his part, the Honourable Commissioner for Economic Planning, Hon. Sonny Ekedayen, emphasized the importance of scaling up and coordinating interventions such as the MORE Grant Scheme, WESAP, and the Working Fingers Initiative, which have collectively impacted more than 266,000 residents across the state.
More so, the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) & Public Information, Honourable Charles Aniagwu, commended the ActNaija Consortium, particularly ANEEJ, for facilitating the dialogue and highlighted the critical role of effective communication in ensuring awareness, access, and accountability for social protection programmes.
In the same vein, the DG, Delta State Orientation & Communication Bureau, Dr. Wilfred Latimo Oghenesuvwe thanked the consortium for this timely dialogue and highlighted the great work that Delta State government under Governor Sherrif Oborevwori MORE Agenda is doing. He further touched on the importance of continuous orientation of the people around social protection programmes and pledged the bureau’s support to work with the consortium to deliver on the ActNaija project’s overall objectives.
In his welcome address, ANEEJ Executive Director, Rev. David Ugolor, emphasized the need for a unified and transparent social protection system in Delta and called for the swift signing of the Delta State Social Protection Bill, currently awaiting gubernatorial assent, to provide the legal backbone for harmonizing all social protection efforts across the state.
The dialogue featured two key panels. The first, “Toward an Inclusive Social Protection Framework in Delta State,”moderated by Mr. Emeka Okonkwo, examined gaps in coordination and financing, drew lessons from existing programmes such as the Widows Welfare Scheme and Cash Transfers, and produced clear recommendations to expand coverage and improve delivery systems.
The second panel, “Legal and Institutional Reforms for Social Protection in Delta State,” moderated by Barr. Smart Edoge, brought together lawmakers, legal practitioners, and civil society actors to review the draft Social Protection Bill and propose stronger legal and institutional frameworks for inclusiveness, accountability, and better coordination across state and local levels.
Stakeholders at the dialogue agreed on several actionable steps to strengthen social protection in Delta State:
- Urgent gubernatorial assent to the Delta State Social Protection Bill passed in 2023 to provide a strong legal framework.
- Increased budgetary allocations in the state’s annual budget to expand coverage and reach more vulnerable citizens.
- Enhanced collaboration between government, CSOs, LGAs, and other stakeholders for more coordinated interventions.
- Active engagement of the private sector to support implementation and sustainability.
- Establishment of robust feedback mechanisms to monitor and report on ongoing programmes.
- Continuous updating and cleaning of the state’s social register to ensure accuracy.
- Non-partisan selection of beneficiaries to eliminate political bias in social protection programmes.
- Increased public awareness campaigns to educate citizens on social protection initiatives.
- Streamlining ministries and agencies to avoid duplication of functions and improve efficiency.
The Delta State Dialogue on Social Protection provided a platform to review the current state of social protection in the state, discussed evidence from the ActNaija baseline study, and generated policy recommendations. This collaboration between government and civil society reflects a shared vision of building a stronger, more inclusive, and resilient Delta State where no one is left behind.