Written By Khadijah Aliyu; Edited By Godwin Duru
The North-West Governors’ Forum (NWGF) has convened a high-level Policy Dialogue on Reducing Multidimensional Poverty through Scaled Social Protection Systems and Innovative Financing, bringing together policymakers, development partners, technical experts, and other stakeholders from across the region.
The dialogue focused on identifying practical and sustainable strategies to address the drivers of multidimensional poverty, particularly among children, women, and other vulnerable groups in the seven North-West states of Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara.
Declaring the technical session open, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, represented by the Deputy Governor, Murtala Sule Garo said social protection should be viewed not merely as a welfare intervention but as a strategic investment in human capital development, social stability, and economic growth.
He noted that the Kano State Government has taken deliberate steps to institutionalize social protection through the enactment of the Social Protection Policy Law in 2025, which led to the establishment of the Social Protection Directorate under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
According to him, the state government has continued to invest significantly in education, healthcare, skills acquisition, youth empowerment, and social intervention programmes aimed at improving the living standards of citizens.
In her welcome address, the Director-General of the NWGF Maryam Musa Yahaya, described the dialogue as a defining moment for the region, given the numerous socio-economic challenges confronting the North-West.
She noted that despite the region’s enormous potential, vibrant population, rich human capital, and economic opportunities, it continues to grapple with high levels of multidimensional poverty, poor health outcomes, insecurity, climate-related vulnerabilities, displacement, fiscal pressures, and a growing number of out-of-school children.
According to her, these challenges transcend state boundaries and require coordinated regional responses.
She stressed that social protection should not be viewed as charity but as an investment in stability, productivity, and the future of the region.
Maryam further explained that the North-West Governors’ Forum had adopted the North-West Peace, Security and Development Framework as a shared roadmap for addressing the root causes of fragility while accelerating human development.
The framework, she said, recognizes the strong link between peace, security, economic growth, and social wellbeing.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of the North West Development Commission, Professor Shehu Abdullahi, said the commission was established to drive development interventions capable of addressing the region’s developmental challenges.
He reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to working closely with the North-West Governors’ Forum in line with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
In a goodwill message, the Deputy Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Dr. Rownak Khan, highlighted the severe challenges facing children across the North-West region, including high maternal mortality rates, child malnutrition, stunting, and limited access to essential services.
She noted that the persistence of these indicators demonstrates the depth of multidimensional poverty affecting children and families in the region.
Dr. Khan identified child-focused social protection programmes, including unconditional cash transfers, as critical interventions capable of improving access to healthcare, education, nutrition, and other essential services.
