Federal Government Unveils $1bn HOPE-SP to Lift Vulnerable Nigerians Out of Poverty

ABUJA — The Federal Government has introduced a $1 billion social protection initiative, the Household Prosperity and Empowerment Social Protection Project (HOPE-SP), as part of efforts to transition vulnerable Nigerians from short-term assistance to economic independence.

The programme was launched on Wednesday at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja alongside four other initiatives targeting humanitarian response, social protection and poverty reduction.

The other initiatives unveiled at the event are the One-Humanitarian-One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS), Emergency Cash Transfer Programme, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction Ministerial Blueprint, and Humanity First Magazine.

First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who delivered the keynote address, said the initiatives, under the theme “From Palliatives to Pathways,” were designed to improve the wellbeing of vulnerable Nigerians and provide more sustainable solutions to poverty.

She said the five initiatives may serve different purposes but are united by a common goal of improving the living conditions of Nigerians experiencing economic and social hardship.

Mrs Tinubu said their launch came at a critical period as the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu continues with major economic reforms intended to strengthen the economy and establish the basis for sustainable growth and shared prosperity.

“Under the leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, our nation is implementing far-reaching reforms to strengthen the economy, lay a solid foundation for sustainable growth, and shared prosperity.

“As these reforms continue to take effect, we must recognize that, given the size of our population and available resources, many families still face challenges and require our collective support,” she said.

She described HOPE-SP as an initiative that would improve the way vulnerable households are identified and supported by taking their specific circumstances into account before interventions are provided.

Rather than relying solely on temporary relief, she said the programme would provide immediate stabilisation assistance while connecting beneficiaries to opportunities for recovery, empowerment and self-reliance.

“The first initiative, the Household Prosperity and Empowerment Social Protection Project, is an important step toward strengthening how to identify and respond to vulnerable households facing various challenges by listening to their specific needs before taking action.

“It is designed to provide immediate stabilization assistance while placing the households on a pathway to recovery, empowerment and self-reliance,” she said.

On OHOPRS, Mrs Tinubu said the initiative would create a coordinated national framework for humanitarian emergencies, social protection and poverty reduction.

She said the system would reduce duplication by providing unified national registries through which vulnerable households could be identified, assisted and monitored as they progress towards prosperity.

She said the Emergency Cash Transfer Programme would offer quick financial assistance to households hit by economic shocks, while the Ministerial Blueprint would convert the government’s humanitarian and poverty reduction priorities under the Renewed Hope Agenda into measurable actions.

The First Lady also highlighted the Humanity First Magazine, which she said would record the stories of Nigerians whose lives had been transformed through government interventions.

She praised Doro and officials of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction for developing the initiatives.

“I commend the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard M. Doro and his team for these initiatives that will transform our humanitarian endeavours from temporary assistance to lasting pathways that promote resilience, self-reliance, prosperity and a dignified life for every Nigerian,” she said.

Doro said the launch marked a major change in the government’s approach to humanitarian intervention and social protection.

According to him, the government is moving from reactive palliatives towards proactive empowerment, with the ultimate objective of reducing poverty rather than simply managing its effects.

He said reforms such as fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange market unification had improved investor confidence and government revenues but acknowledged the need to shield Nigerians from economic shocks.

The minister said the government was seeking to move “from reactive relief to anticipatory social protection and from merely managing poverty to reducing it.”

Doro identified the fragmentation of existing interventions as a major weakness in the social protection system. He said programmes operated separately across government institutions, resulting in situations where some beneficiaries received multiple forms of support while others were left out.

Under the new framework, he said the government would focus on households rather than individual programmes and measure the impact of interventions rather than simply counting beneficiaries.

Vulnerable households would be identified, assessed and matched with appropriate interventions before being monitored through a “poverty graduation pathway” towards economic inclusion and self-reliance.

He said the new architecture would rely on unified data, digital infrastructure, new financing mechanisms and real-time poverty intelligence, with stronger collaboration between federal, state and local governments and development partners.

Doro said OHOPRS would provide a single platform for humanitarian and poverty reduction interventions, ending the practice of government agencies maintaining separate registers and data centres.

He disclosed that existing databases would be merged into a unified platform based on the National Social Register, which currently has about 20 million households.

Beneficiaries would be tracked from identification through intervention and eventual exit, before being moved into a growth register. A digital dashboard would also provide a comprehensive view of interventions.

The minister further announced plans to establish a National Poverty Intelligence Lab, saying the effectiveness of government programmes would be judged by how many households were protected, economically included and eventually lifted out of poverty.

Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, said social protection could only succeed through a coordinated whole-of-government approach involving federal, state and local governments and other stakeholders.

He said the administration’s target of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030 must be accompanied by efforts to ensure that economic opportunities reach communities across the country.

Bagudu pointed to the ward development initiative covering 8,809 wards nationwide, saying it would help identify the causes of poverty and exclusion at community level and turn the wards into centres of economic inclusion and prosperity.

He also said government was giving greater budgetary attention to security, peace and social protection to protect Nigerians from falling into poverty due to economic shocks.

According to him, global events such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and instability in the Middle East continue to affect households and economies, underscoring the importance of strong social safety nets.

Bagudu said Nigeria already had significant resources and programmes for social protection and poverty eradication, including a World Bank portfolio worth about $6 billion.

He stressed, however, that the key challenge was better coordination and efficient deployment of resources across the federal, state and local levels.

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, welcomed the initiative, describing it as a significant step towards addressing vulnerability in the country.

Zulum, whose state continues to grapple with humanitarian challenges caused by insurgency, said tackling poverty and social inequality was critical to addressing insecurity and instability.

He stressed that sustainable peace required more than emergency assistance, arguing that government interventions must address the underlying conditions that leave communities vulnerable.

The governor also called for sustained research into identity and national security matters and congratulated the Federal Government and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction on the new programmes.

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