Zamfara Moves To Enact Social Protection Law

Zamfara State Government yesterday commenced the process of drafting of the Social Protection Bill.
The four-day stakeholders meeting to draft the bill held in Kano and organised by Save the Children International (SCI), an NGO.
The SCI Communication Officer, Nura Dantawasa, said that the workshop was to ensure effective Social Protection System in the state.
He said: “Following the approval of the Social Protection Policy by the State Executive Council in Oct. 2020, the CDGP deemed it necessary to continue to support the state to have a legal documents that will be backed by law to ensure the permanence and transparency in the implementation of social protection programmes’’.
According to him, the legal documents is required to enable the beneficiaries enforce their entitlements to social protection benefits.
The Zamfara State Commissioner of Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Ibrahim Jibo, commended the SCI and the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) for supporting the state on the project.
Jibo assured of gover-nment’s commitment to continue working with development partners to move the state forward.
He called on the participants to pay keen interest to developments at the workshop so as to come up with better documents.
The Clerk of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Alhaji Shehu Sa’idu, said after the meeting the stakeholders were expected to come up with a draft of the bill.
He reiterated the commitment of the sixth assembly to provide social protection laws and legislations for the residents of the state.
The Social Protection and Inclusion Coordinator of the SCI, Mrs Ese Awha-ritoma, said the meeting had participants from the Parliamentary Forum of the state House of Assembly.
According to her, others are: officials from the state Ministries of Budget and Economic Planning, Justice, Women and Children Affairs, Representatives from UNICEF and National Disability Commission among others.
The Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) funded Child Development Grant Project (CDGP), had supported the state on Six Years Cash Transfer Programme for pregnant women, implemented by the Save the Children International (SCI).
The CDGP is currently working on additional two years on Strengthening Social Protection Systems (SSPS) in the state.