Social protection: KDSG/SCI launches Management Information System

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

In order to ensure that every poor and vulnerable citizen of Kaduna State is captured and benefits from the succour provided by the government, the state government in partnership with Save the Children International (SCI), has launched the Kaduna State Social Protection Management Information System (KADSPMIS,) to help in tracking the social protection programs across all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs.)
Speaking during the launch, the honourable commissioner for Planning and Budget Commission, Honourable Mukhtar Ahmed Monrovia, said the system will enable the state to track and evaluate whatever social protection program the government has brought and put in place.
He added that it will also allow them to keep the data in the system to avoid a repetition of the circle with only one set of people as beneficiaries.
“With this system, we will be able to track and know who has benefited, and then move to the next level to assist others that have not benefited.”
Another advantage is the visibility it gives the state out there. Whoever is coming to assist us, we can show that we have a system that can monitor and track any activity that is done and this will encourage them to continue to assist us.
“Thank God, in the last seven to eight years, the Planning and Budget Commission of Kaduna state has been doing eyes and ears which are similar to this one, only that they have different goals. So with a lot of training, we would maintain it because we would see its benefit and would not let it go like that.”
“Fortunately, it is going to be housed at the Planning and Budget Commission where we have young men that have been looking at maintaining the eyes and ears, they will also look after the MIS. So there’s no fear of maintaining and giving it the right attention that it needs.”
“I think Kaduna is the first in the sub-national northern states to do this and I congratulate the State government and Save the Children Foundation because they are the ones who assisted in developing this application,” he said.
Speaking earlier, the Senior Social Protection Specialist of Save the Children International, Mr Victor Ogharanduku, said the software developed by SCI is in line with the Expanding Social Protection for Inclusive Development (ESPID), a UK-funded programme under the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) providing technical support for the strengthening of social protection in Nigeria.