Humannitarian Ministry, BOA Partner to Move Vulnerable Nigerians from Aid to Sustainable Livelihoods
Oru Leonard
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, has entered into a strategic partnership with the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) to create sustainable livelihood opportunities for vulnerable Nigerians.
The partnership was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by both institutions, providing a framework for linking humanitarian and social protection interventions with agricultural financing, productive assets and economic opportunities.
Speaking at the signing, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard M. Doro, said the partnership was driven by the need to combine the resources and expertise of both institutions to tackle poverty and vulnerability more effectively.
Doro said the Ministry’s National Social Register, which contains information on about 20 million vulnerable households representing approximately 80 million individuals, would provide a major platform for targeted interventions.
He described the register as the largest in Africa, noting that more than 10 million individuals captured in the database had been validated using their National Identification Numbers (NIN).
According to him, beneficiaries are identified through a rigorous process involving vulnerability assessments, community-based targeting, data collection, verification and analysis to ensure that interventions reach the poorest and most vulnerable households.
The Minister said the partnership would also support the Federal Government’s reform efforts aimed at eliminating duplication, reducing leakages and ensuring that humanitarian and poverty reduction resources deliver greater impact.
He said the Ministry’s One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS) initiative was designed to promote a more coordinated approach to humanitarian interventions and poverty reduction.
Doro explained that the agreement with BOA would help translate the reforms into practical economic opportunities by connecting verified vulnerable Nigerians to agricultural financing, productive inputs, enterprise opportunities and livelihood programmes.
Under the MoU, both institutions will collaborate on poverty reduction, agricultural financing, humanitarian interventions, social investment, livelihood restoration, financial inclusion, women’s economic empowerment, youth development, climate resilience, skills acquisition, rural development, food security, digital financial services and value-chain development.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Agriculture, Mr. Ayodeji Oludare, said the bank would support vulnerable Nigerians with interventions capable of increasing their productive capacity and improving their livelihoods.
He said such support could include agricultural inputs such as fertiliser and seeds, alongside appropriate financing and other interventions.
Oludare added that BOA could develop profiles for participating farmers to assess their economic activities and establish appropriate credit-scoring mechanisms that would improve access to finance.
He stressed that the bank’s commitment extended beyond a single intervention, assuring that it would continue to explore funding opportunities and expand the partnership to make it a sustainable solution for vulnerable Nigerians.
Under the agreement, the Ministry will facilitate access to eligible beneficiaries, coordinate relevant humanitarian and social protection programmes, engage government institutions and stakeholders, and provide policy guidance and implementation support.
BOA will develop appropriate financing solutions, support financial inclusion and value-chain financing, and provide financial advisory and technical expertise for relevant programmes.
The partnership will also leverage verified beneficiary data to improve the targeting of agricultural and livelihood interventions, allowing beneficiaries to be profiled according to their circumstances, economic activities and specific needs.
The collaboration is further expected to facilitate engagement with development partners, donor agencies, private-sector organisations and multilateral institutions to mobilise resources for scaling up agreed programmes.
The initiative is also linked to the proposed Nigeria Poverty Resilience Fund (NPRF), which seeks to connect verified vulnerable households with productive opportunities, including agricultural inputs, affordable credit and structured value chains.
The broader objective, the Ministry said, is to enable vulnerable households to transition from dependence on short-term assistance to productive economic participation, income generation and greater resilience against poverty and economic shocks.
The MoU will remain valid for an initial period of three years and may be renewed upon mutual agreement by both parties.
The Ministry and BOA said they would continue to work within their respective mandates to implement programmes capable of delivering measurable improvements in the livelihoods of vulnerable Nigerians.
(FMHAPR Press)
