The Katsina Government has bolstered efforts to tackle multidimensional child poverty through a two-day high-level capacity-building workshop for the stakeholders.
The workshop for government officials, experts and other stakeholders was to strengthen data systems and enhance social protection planning.
The training, organised by the State Bureau of Statistics with support from UNICEF, also featured the quarterly meeting of the State Consultative Committee on Statistics (SCCS).
Malik Anas, the state’s Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, said that social protection systems must be anchored on accurate and timely statistical information.
Represented by the Director of Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Kabiru Bazariye, the commissioner added that reliable data remained the backbone of effective planning.
According to him, the exercise reflects the commitment of Gov. Dikko Radda to building an evidence-driven governance structure that prioritises the wellbeing of children.
He said the SCCS served as a platform for harmonising data production, promoting quality standards and strengthening collaboration among state and local government agencies as well as development partners.
“By merging the quarterly meetings, we aim to review our progress, address gaps and jointly explore ways of enhancing data coordination for improved service delivery,” he said.
The commissioner stated that children in Katsina, like those in many parts of the country, were facing multiple deprivations in health, education, nutrition, protection and access to basic services.
He said the workshop would equip Directors and key stakeholders with practical knowledge to implement evidence-based social protection strategies that directly impact children’s lives.
Earlier, the Statistician-General of the state, Prof. Saifullahi Sani, said the workshop sought to address multidimensional child poverty through context-specific social protection measures.
He said that recent statistics had indicated a malnutrition crisis in the state, necessitating urgent intervention.
Sani said the workshop aimed to build capacity at local government level, particularly among the Directors of Education and Social Development’, to tackle issues such as malnutrition and child poverty.
He said each indicator of child poverty was being addressed individually, adding that the first week of December would focus on nutrition, followed by a survey on Almajiri and Tsangaya Schools.
Also speaking, the state Director of the National Population Commission (NPC), Mr Usman Saidu-Waziri, said child poverty remained one of the most pressing development challenges in the state.
According to Saidu-Waziri, the challenge affects not only children’s wellbeing but also the overall progress of communities and the nation.
He said the NPC was ready to collaborate with the state government to produce and use population data that would support targeted and sustainable solutions to child poverty.
