Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, is calling for stronger regional teamwork on social security across West Africa.
 Speaking as a Special Guest at the 2-day International Social Security Association West Africa Technical Seminar  in Abuja, he said effective communication and inclusive policies are key to building stronger social protection systems. 

Bagudu said social security is a shared issue for West African countries because they face similar socio-economic realities. 

He noted that social protection has moved from informal, traditional support to more structured, formal systems. 
 He praised ISSA and Nigerian stakeholders for pushing social protection forward and listed Nigeria’s reforms — pension restructuring, targeted cash transfers, and wider economic reforms — as steps toward sustainable, inclusive growth.

The Minister stressed that growth means little if it doesn’t improve life for ordinary citizens, especially low-income earners. He highlighted the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Ward Development Plan, approved by President Tinubu, which will map economic opportunities in all 8,809 wards nationwide. 
The plan aims to set up local structures that boost productivity, decentralize social interventions, and improve service delivery so farmers, traders, and artisans get fair rewards for their work.

 

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