Stakeholders discuss inclusive digital social protection for informal workers during a roundtable in Abuja
Stakeholders have urged the Federal Government to adopt inclusive social protection policies that cater to informal workers and Nigerians who remain excluded from digital platforms and services.
The call came during a roundtable on digitalisation and social protection for informal workers in Nigeria, organised in Abuja by the Centre for Information Technology and Development CITAD in partnership with Paradigm Initiative.
OTUWA seeks rights-based welfare system
Representing the Executive Secretary of the Organisation of Trade Unions of West Africa, OTUWA, Comrade John Odah, Mirabelle Asan called for a rights-based social protection framework that prioritises informal workers.
Odah in a keynote address, warned that unequal access to digital services could worsen poverty and social inequality across the country.
He said more than 80 per cent of Nigeria’s workforce operates in the informal sector, yet millions of workers still lack access to healthcare, pensions, unemployment support, and other welfare programmes.
According to him, market women, transport workers, artisans, domestic workers, farmers, street vendors, and gig workers continue to drive the economy despite being largely ignored in policy planning.
He said democracy should go beyond elections and guarantee citizens social welfare, dignity, and protection.
“Democracy must guarantee inclusion, social justice, and the protection of human welfare,” he stated.
Odah also warned against the risk of excluding vulnerable Nigerians from digital welfare programmes.
“We must ensure that digital transformation does not become digital discrimination,” he said.
He called for registration systems that are simple, multilingual, and accessible to people in rural communities and those with low literacy levels.
The labour leader also urged greater investment in digital literacy and called for informal workers to be actively involved in policy design and implementation.
“Technology must serve humanity, not replace social responsibility,” he added.
Poor infrastructure
Presenting a report on Nigeria’s digital social protection system, Executive Director of Glowing Minds Initiative GMI, Shamsudeen Abdulrazak, said poor infrastructure and weak inclusion policies continue to hinder reforms.
He explained that years of field engagement with young people and workers in the informal economy exposed serious gaps in Nigeria’s welfare and data systems.
“We’ve worked extensively with young people in the informal sector, and that experience exposed deep vulnerabilities within the system,” Abdulrazak said.
He recalled a UNICEF-backed birth registration project carried out in Niger State in 2022, where volunteers encountered challenges ranging from poor internet connectivity to insecurity and low public awareness.
According to him, some residents in rural communities could not accurately state the birth dates of their children. “Some families only remembered birth dates through events like Ramadan fasting,” he explained.
Abdulrazak also highlighted how weak internet access excludes intended beneficiaries from digital programmes. “Some participants received event notifications two days after the programme because they had no internet access or used basic mobile phones,” he said.
He stressed that persons living with disabilities must also be considered in digital programme planning, including the provision of interpreters where necessary.
Speaking on employment trends, Abdulrazak noted that the informal economy remains Nigeria’s largest source of jobs.
He cited studies showing that nearly 80 per cent of jobs in the country come from the informal sector, while about 76.7 per cent of employed Nigerians work within it. “Seven out of every 10 Nigerians are working in the informal sector,” he stated.
He revealed that Point-of-Sale, POS, businesses have emerged as one of the fastest-growing forms of informal employment and have improved financial access in many communities.
Despite ongoing reforms, Abdulrazak said lack of political commitment remains a major challenge. “The systems already exist. What is lacking is the political will to make them work effectively for ordinary Nigerians,” he said.
Paradigm advocates digital social protection
Also speaking, Programs Officer and Research Lead at Paradigm Initiative, Sani Sulaiman, called for the redesign of Nigeria’s digital social protection policies to better accommodate marginalised populations.
According to him, the roundtable was organised to identify policy gaps and develop practical, rights-based solutions for informal workers.
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“We are working to create a rights-respecting pathway for informal workers within the digital social protection system,” he said.
Sulaiman warned that digital welfare programmes would fail if millions of citizens remain excluded from internet access and digital tools. “You cannot successfully implement these systems when a large number of citizens are still excluded,” he noted.
He also criticised weak stakeholder engagement in policy formulation, saying many existing policies fail to reflect the realities faced by informal workers.
To address the problem, Sulaiman said the organisation is collaborating with labour groups, civil society organisations, and representatives of informal workers to develop evidence-based policy recommendations.
He added that engagement with lawmakers and key ministries, including Labour and Humanitarian Affairs, would be critical to advancing reforms.
CITAD Urges inclusive social protection
In her opening remarks, Program Officer at CITAD, Yesmin Ejiwumi, said the conversation was timely as Nigeria continues to expand digital solutions in the delivery of social protection services.
She warned that vulnerable groups could be left behind if inclusion is not prioritised.
Participants at the event agreed that Nigeria’s digital social protection framework must focus on accessibility, inclusion, accountability, and transparency to effectively serve vulnerable citizens.
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