THE INTERNATIONAL Labour Organisation (ILO) has called for accelerated digital and data-driven reforms to close widening social protection gaps across West Africa.
The ILO Country Director, Dr Vanessa Phala-Moyo, made the call on Thursday in Abuja at the ongoing International Social Security Association (ISSA) West Africa Seminar.
The two-day seminar was organised by the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) in collaboration with ISSA and the National Pension Commission (PenCom).
The theme of the seminar is “Improving Inclusiveness and Accessibility of Social Security Services Through Effective Communication in West Africa.”
Phala-Moyo said the reforms were necessary to expand coverage and ensure that no vulnerable group was left behind.
According to her, millions of people within the ECOWAS region lack access to formal social security systems.
“Women, young people, rural communities and migrant workers remain the most excluded from social protection coverage.
“Limited awareness of existing social protection programmes continues to hinder access for many eligible citizens,” she said.
She identified weak communication as a major barrier, noting that many people do not understand available services due to poor messaging.
The ILO country director called for improved communication strategies that would simplify information and make services more accessible to the public.
She added that digital platforms, including mobile tools such as WhatsApp, could significantly expand outreach.
Phala-Moyo stressed the need for governments and development partners to leverage digital technologies to improve registration and service delivery.
She said social protection systems could become more efficient through integrated and interoperable social registers.
According to her, data systems that “talk to each other” would improve targeting and reduce duplication of beneficiaries.
The ILO official also highlighted institutional fragmentation as a major challenge affecting social protection delivery, noting that weak coordination among ministries and agencies often resulted in inefficiencies and poor policy implementation.
She urged stronger collaboration and capacity building to enhance governance structures, as well as simplified administrative processes to make welfare systems more accessible and user-friendly.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Ms Omolola Oloworaran, urged stakeholders to prioritise effective communication to improve inclusivity and accessibility of social security services.
Oloworaran said the seminar’s theme underscored challenges in reaching the informal sector, rural communities and other underserved populations.
She noted that social security remained central to Nigeria’s reform agenda, with ongoing efforts aimed at expanding support for vulnerable groups. (NAN)
