The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, has said the Federal Government’s five flagship programmes are designed to support vulnerable Nigerians facing poverty, displacement and economic hardship. The initiatives will cover livelihoods, education, primary healthcare, social protection and better management of public services.
The programmes were unveiled by the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. The President’s address at the event was delivered by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele.
Doro said his ministry’s wider poverty-reduction plan would connect emergency assistance with opportunities that could help struggling families become financially independent.
What Tinubu’s five flagship programmes will deliver
The first initiative is the Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus Additional Financing, known as NG-CARES AF.
The programme supports poor and vulnerable households, small-scale farmers, communities and small businesses affected by economic hardship and other emergencies.
The Presidency described it as a $1.25 billion World Bank-supported programme focusing on smallholder farmers and small and medium-sized businesses. The World Bank had earlier approved $500 million in additional financing to expand livelihood support, food-security services and grants for vulnerable households and communities.
NG-CARES began as a response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic but has developed into a wider system for helping families and communities cope with economic shocks.
It is implemented through Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Its activities include social transfers, public works, agricultural support, community services and grants for small businesses.
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The second initiative is the Solutions for Internally Displaced and Host Communities Programme, also called SOLID.
The $300 million World Bank-financed programme is intended to support people forced from their homes by conflict and insecurity, as well as the communities accommodating them.
It will focus on infrastructure, basic services and livelihoods. The aim is to connect immediate humanitarian assistance with longer-term recovery, rather than leaving displaced families dependent on temporary relief.
Health, education and government reforms
The remaining three programmes are part of the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity initiative, known as HOPE.
They are HOPE-GOV, HOPE-PHC and HOPE-EDU. Although they fall under one broad initiative, the three components are counted separately, bringing the total number of flagship programmes to five.
HOPE-GOV will address weaknesses in the management of public money and workers in the education and health sectors. It is expected to improve transparency, accountability and the deployment of teachers and primary healthcare workers.
HOPE-PHC will strengthen primary healthcare services, with particular attention to women, children, adolescents and other vulnerable groups.
The World Bank said the health programme was designed to improve maternal and child healthcare, nutrition services and the ability of the health system to respond to emergencies. It is expected to benefit about 40 million people.
HOPE-EDU will focus on basic education, including literacy, numeracy, teacher support, school management and opportunities for children who are not currently attending school.
The programme is expected to reach about 29 million children in public primary schools, 500,000 teachers and more than 65,000 schools. It will also support about 1.5 million children through 10,000 non-formal learning centres.
Doro pushes unified poverty-response system
Doro said the programmes would support his ministry’s One Humanitarian–One Poverty Response System, known as OHOPRS. The framework is intended to bring humanitarian assistance, social protection and poverty-reduction programmes under one coordinated national system.
It includes a unified beneficiary register, improved digital records and a structured pathway for helping people move out of poverty. The system is also intended to reduce cases where different agencies provide overlapping assistance while other vulnerable communities receive little or no support.
Doro has said Nigeria’s existing systems must do more to move people “from survival to self-reliance”.
Under the plan, families receiving emergency food or cash support could later be connected to skills training, livelihood programmes, micro-enterprise assistance and other opportunities intended to provide a sustainable income.
The minister said this approach would shift the government’s focus from repeated palliatives to recovery, resilience and economic independence.
Palliatives provide temporary relief during hardship, but they do not always address the underlying causes of poverty. The proposed graduation pathway is meant to help beneficiaries progress from immediate assistance to employment, training or business support.
Delivery will determine the programmes’ impact
The Presidency said federal, state and local authorities, development organisations and implementing agencies must work together for the programmes to succeed.
State governments will play an important role, particularly in identifying beneficiaries and delivering NG-CARES assistance at community level.
The eventual impact will depend on transparent beneficiary selection, proper monitoring and the ability of government agencies to prevent political interference, duplication and misuse of funds.
Nigerians should understand that no single application procedure has been announced for all five programmes. People seeking support should monitor verified information from the relevant federal ministry, their state government and recognised programme agencies. They should not pay anyone who promises guaranteed registration or automatic access to government assistance.
