The Benue State Government, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), has commenced a 5-day training for local government officials on the TRANSFORM Leadership and Capacity Building training on Social Protection.
Declaring the second session of the training open on Monday on behalf of the Director-General of the Benue State Budget and Economic Planning Commission, Professor Jerome Andohol, the covering Permanent Secretary of the commission, Mr Orinya Ogenyi said the programme is aimed at strengthening social protection systems in the state.
Speaking at the event in Makurdi, the Permanent Secretary welcomed participants drawn from Ministries, Departments and Agencies as well as all 23 Local Government Areas of the state. He noted that an effective social protection system is critical to reducing poverty, addressing vulnerability and inequality, and improving the welfare and resilience of individuals, households and communities.
He expressed appreciation to the ILO for its continued technical support and collaboration with the Benue State Government, stressing that the participation of LG representatives demonstrates the government’s commitment to ensuring that social protection interventions are effectively planned, coordinated, implemented and monitored at the grassroots.
“The TRANSFORM methodology provides a valuable platform for building the capacity of stakeholders to better understand social protection systems, assess existing gaps, identify priorities, and develop practical and sustainable solutions that respond to the needs of vulnerable populations,” he said.
He urged participants to actively engage in the sessions, share experiences from their LGAs, and apply the knowledge gained to strengthen planning and implementation in their areas of responsibility. He added that it is expected that at the end of the training, participants will have enhanced knowledge and practical skills to improve coordination, evidence-based planning, budgeting and implementation of social protection programmes across the state.
Also speaking, the Senior Programme Assistant of the ILO, Grace Anyiam, said the training is holding concurrently in four states: Benue, Oyo, Sokoto and Abia, and is the first of several rounds, with another scheduled for October/November.
She noted that the training is designed to strengthen the knowledge and practical skills of frontline implementers at the local government level, using the globally recognized TRANSFORM methodology.
“This training is informed by the findings and recommendations of the social protection capacity needs and gap assessment conducted by the ILO in 2025. The assessment highlighted the need to strengthen the technical capacity of local government officials who are instrumental in coordinating and implementing social protection interventions at the community level,” she said.
Anyiam encouraged participants to be practical, share experiences, and step down the training in their various offices, adding that training materials have been made available to aid replication.
She disclosed that the programme forms part of the Supporting Sustainable Social Protection System in Nigeria project funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by UNICEF and the ILO.
“Through this partnership, we remain committed to supporting the Government of Nigeria in building inclusive, resilient, and sustainable social protection systems that leave no one behind,” she added.
Participants were urged to actively contribute, ask questions and translate the knowledge gained into actions that will improve the lives of vulnerable individuals and communities in Benue State.
