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The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur, has called for the need to strengthen social safety mechanisms to support the vulnerable in society. She said resource constraints do not enable government to cater for the needs of the socially marginalised, and urged stakeholders to support government in its efforts to improve the lives of the poor. The Gender Minister spelt these out at the first-ever Social Protection Conference held in Accra yesterday to deliberate on issues to strengthen Ghana�s Social Development. According to her, there was a critical need to provide safety nets to cushion the most vulnerable groups from unexpected economic and environmental shocks. Nana Oye Lithur stressed that it was for this reason the gender ministry, in collaboration with the World Bank and other key donors, organised this maiden Social Protection Conference to raise awareness on the role of Social Protection in Ghana�s economic development. She noted that her ministry was determined to reduce poverty and address issues bordering on inequality. Nana Oye Lithur expressed her profound gratitude to all stakeholders and donors for making the first-ever Social Protection Conference possible and hoped that the collected expertise will culminate into policies that would positively affect the lives of the socially disadvantaged. Dr Nii Moi Thompson, Economic Advisor to the President, who doubles as the acting Director General of the National Development Planning Commission, stated that Social Intervention is not charity. �This is building human capital of Ghana. We are creating opportunities for these households to contribute to growth and empowering them for development,� he added. Dr Thompson, who was representing the President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, read these in his keynote address. He lauded the theme for the conference; thus �Social Protection: A Strategic Tool For Poverty Reduction and Bridging the Inequality Gap in Ghana� was said to be timely and appropriate in Ghana�s current situation by Dr Thompson. Dr Thompson stressed that government�s dedication to reducing poverty and building an equitable and just society for all and sundry to birth sustainable growth and development is a major priority. Ms Marcia Helena Carvalho Lopes, former Brazilian Minister for Social Development and Fight against Hunger, cautioned that for Social Development to improve in Ghana effectively and be sustainable, it required a collective responsibility of all ministries and institutions. According to her, if Social Development interventions are undertaken separately they will not be effective like when handled whole. In her explanation, she charged all the ministries to form a collective front and provide a whole package to the marginalised. She was elated that Ghana was enthusiastic about transforming the lives of its people and optimistic that tangible results would be achieved.