Gender Ministry inaugurates social protection committee

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) on Friday inaugurated a Social Protection Inter Sectoral Technical Committee, to facilitate the effective and efficient coordination of the country’s social interventions programmes.

The 17-member committee chaired by Mr Eric Kwesi Armo-Himbson, Chief Director, MoGCSP, funded by government and the World Bank has also been charged with an oversight responsibility of ensuring that, the needs of the extreme poor, vulnerable and excluded in society are addressed.

Nana Oye Lithur, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, who inaugurated the committee, noted that the institution based committee has a broad objective of realizing the effective and efficient collaboration as well as coordination among the various social protection interventions run in the country.

This is to ensure linkage of complementary programmes to address the major concerns of the extreme poor, vulnerable and excluded.

The committee is to address challenges arising from implementation of social protection interventions and making recommendations when necessary to the inter-ministerial committee for action.

Members are to undertake periodic review of performance targets of implementing agencies and reports to the inter-ministerial committee as well as ensuring the establishment of a shared database and information on implementation of social protection interventions, and functional management information system linked to the national management information system.

“Harmonising annual work plans and targets among implementation agencies, strengthening the capacity of ministries, departments and agencies to coordinate, collaborate and effectively implement social protection programmes as well as ensuring that social protection intervention are meeting the provisions of national framework are among your expected duties,” the Minister said.

Nana Lithur indicated that lack of clear policy direction, weak coordination, poor targeting of potential beneficiaries and limited monitoring and evaluation are some of the major reasons attributed to the uncoordinated progress on social protection programmes in the country.

She, urged the committee to critically examine the socio-democratic nature of the regime, and formulate plans and programmes that could cater for the welfare of the people and enhance the work of the various intervention programmes.

“As you are aware, social protection all over the world has become a major tool for addressing poverty, vulnerability and exclusion, it has become an efficient and effective poverty reduction tool across the developing world in recent decades, with the heightened interest due to the demonstrable effect it can contribute significantly to the achievement of the objective of the MDGs especially goal one on halving extreme poverty,”, she said.

Mr Eric Kwesi Armo-Himbson, Chairman of the committee on behalf of the members, thanked the Minister for the confidence reposed in them, and called for collective efforts as well as co-operation of members to achieve the set objectives.