Lagos State Civil Society Participation for Development (LACSOP), the umbrella body for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Lagos, has launched the Citizens-Led Accountability Mechanism (CLAIM) project on social protection.
The project, which commenced with a four-day training for CSOs with the aim of enhancing the accountability system for social protection in Lagos state, had in attendance representatives from specific Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Lagos State Government.
The project which is being funded by European Union Agents for Citizens-Driven Transformation (EU-ACT), is being implemented by LACSOP in partnership with LEAP Africa, Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), Women Liberation and Transformation Group and Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).
The Chairman, Board of Trustees of LACSOP, Barrister Ayo Adebusoye, while addressing CSO partners at the training session iterated on the need for Civil society leaders to work in collaboration with the Lagos State Government to ensure inclusive accountabilities mechanism are in place, where Citizens can give feedback on progress of the social protection policy which was approved in 2020 and launched early this year.
Adebusoye explained that the project by LACSOP is aimed at “sustaining the impacts of the social protection programmes in the state and ensuring that the social protection policy in the state is fully implemented towards eradicating poverty.”
Barrister Adebusoye who stressed that “the core components of the policy is the mechanism of the civil society to be able to give independent monitoring and evaluation to ensure that the policy works, it’s effective and inclusive for most vulnerable groups,” added that “all hands must be on deck to ensure that the quality of SP programs by the government are effectively carried out and benefits the citizens.”
The General Manager of the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA), Mr. Dare Dairo while giving his remark at the workshop, commended LACSOP for building the capacity of members of the disability community on how to engage state actors on promoting their rights.
Dairo who shared that the Lagos State Government has shown its commitment to improving the well-being of PWDs in the state with the passage of the disability law over 10 years ago, noted that the state would continue to advance the rights of PWDs.
In his remark, the representative of the Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, also noted that the state government is developing initiatives targeted at the vulnerable, from time to time, with the aim of addressing poverty in the state.
The 4-day training which held in Ikeja, Lagos had in attendance CSOs working on Social Protection issues in Lagos State.