The Cross River State Government, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has reviewed progress in the implementation of the State Social Protection Policy, with renewed focus on strengthening interventions to reduce multidimensional poverty across the State.
The review was conducted during the third-quarter 2026 meeting of the State Social Protection Policy Technical Working Group held at Dannic Hotel, Ekorinim, Calabar.
Declaring the two-day meeting open, the Commissioner, Mr Lukpata, thanked Governor Bassey Edet Otu for his commitment to strengthening the State’s development through policy frameworks and institutional structures designed to sustain government interventions and improve the welfare of citizens.
He said social protection was fundamentally about dignity and justice, stressing that government must ensure that vulnerable people do not fall through the cracks when faced with economic and social hardship.
According to him, the elderly without adequate support, children whose education is threatened by poverty, persons living with disabilities, widows, smallholder farmers affected by poor harvests and young people struggling to secure employment all require responsive social protection measures.
The Commissioner noted that the State had already established important institutional foundations for the policy, including a policy direction, implementation framework and the domestication of the Social Protection Agency by law.
“A policy on paper alone does not feed a family. Our work is to turn commitment into coordinated actions, actions into results that people can feel in their homes and communities,” he said.
He commended UNICEF and members of the Technical Working Group for their contributions to the development and implementation of social protection interventions in the State.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Cross River Social Investment and Protection Agency, Hon. Dr Edem Effiom, called for the adoption of an adaptive social protection approach that recognises the different dimensions and peculiarities of poverty across communities.
Effiom said a single approach could not adequately address the varied nature of poverty, stressing the need for continuous analysis, harmonisation of lessons learnt and proactive measures to mitigate emerging social and economic vulnerabilities.
He commended the State Government for addressing social protection through an institutional framework, noting that sustained coordination among relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies would be critical to achieving measurable results.
The meeting reviewed the State Development Plan in relation to social protection components, reports of activities undertaken by relevant MDAs from the first to third quarters, challenges affecting budget implementation, as well as monitoring and evaluation strategies.
Participants also considered the proposed 2027 activities and next-step strategies aimed at strengthening the implementation of the State Social Protection Policy.
The meeting featured goodwill messages from partners and stakeholders, interactive sessions and technical discussions involving members of the State Social Protection Policy Technical Working Group.
By Iloke Egbe
