Stakeholders in Kaduna have developed a governance framework for the integrated Social Protection Management Information System (SP MIS) launched early in March 2024, aimed at strengthening accountability mechanisms so that social protection programmes are coordinated; ensuring that poor and vulnerable citizens in Kaduna have access to health services, education, and a life of dignity.
The SP MIS is a system developed by the Kaduna State Social Investment Programmes Agency (KADSIPA) with support from the Expanding Social Protection for Inclusive Development (ESPID) Project of Save the Children International; to support the coordination and implementation of all social protection systems across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of government in Kaduna State.
According to Victor Ogharanduku, Senior Social Protection Advisor with Save the Children International, the MIS will not only support the coordination of SP but also “expand Social Protection coverage, and ensure efficient planning by relevant stakeholders”.
He said “The SP MIS is a digital data-driven strategy for service delivery, which will foster citizen trust in social protection programmes of the government, and its operations will support government planning and decision making.
Considering the high rate of multi-dimensional Poverty and the significant gaps in the provision of social protection services in the state, the operationalization of the system will strengthen and support accountability mechanisms for the efficiency and accuracy of social protection programmes for inclusivity, transparency, and accountability.
Jessica Bartholomew, the Chairperson of the Kaduna Social Protection Accountability Coalition (KADSPAC) highlighted that the SP MIS will support an effective monitoring and evaluation of the Social Protection Policy of the state. “If you want an efficient and effective implementation of any policy, it needs to be accompanied by an effective information management system that allows the collation of data of target beneficiary, in this regard beneficiaries of social protection intervention, as well as processing it to see the performance and how beneficiaries are accessing the services used to reduce their vulnerability, risks, and shocks”.
According to her, the relevance of data in reviewing the level of policy performance for Kaduna State Social protection cannot be overemphasized, hence this is a timely innovation as it will not only support monitoring and tracking but also follow up to ensure the usage of the platform.
The governance framework developed will ensure that activities and programmes are coordinated and synergized for proper planning and delivery of all SP programmes in Kaduna State.
