By Emma Peter, Abuja
The Federal Government has unveiled and launched the $1 billion Household Prosperity and Economic Social Protection Project (HOPE-SP), signalling a major shift in Nigeria’s humanitarian response from temporary palliatives to sustainable pathways for recovery, empowerment and self-reliance.
The initiative, themed “From Palliatives to Pathways,” was launched on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja, by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.
The First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu CON, who served as Special Guest of Honour, commended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard M. Doro, and his team for their commitment to reforming humanitarian interventions.
According to the First Lady, the initiatives are designed to improve the identification, targeting and support of vulnerable households, while strengthening coordination among humanitarian and poverty-reduction programmes.
She said the reforms would also provide shock-responsive assistance and promote accountability and measurable outcomes in government interventions.
In his presentation, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Doro, described the launch as a strategic shift “from palliatives to pathways,” with vulnerable households, rather than individual programmes, placed at the centre of government interventions.
Dr. Doro explained that the reform would address fragmentation, duplication and multiple uncoordinated registries through the establishment of a unified national architecture connecting identification, needs assessment, targeted intervention, protection, empowerment, poverty graduation and sustainable growth.
The Minister said the One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS) would serve as a major system reform, bringing humanitarian response, social protection and poverty-reduction interventions into a coordinated national framework.
He added that the framework would be supported by unified registries, digital delivery systems, improved financing, stronger institutions, accountability and real-time intelligence.
Other initiatives unveiled at the event included the Emergency Shock-Responsive Cash Transfer, the FMHAPR Ministerial Blueprint, and the Humanitarian First Magazine, which is expected to document the experiences and impact of government interventions on beneficiaries.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Olubunmi Olusanya, said the initiatives would strengthen coordination and accountability, stressing that the ultimate measure of success would be the tangible difference made in the lives of vulnerable Nigerians.
Goodwill messages were delivered by Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, on behalf of other governors and sub-national governments; the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar A. Bagudu; former Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu; as well as representatives of the European Union, World Bank and other international development partners.
The speakers commended the Federal Government’s efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s social protection and humanitarian systems, describing the reforms as important steps towards improving coordination, accountability and the effectiveness of interventions.
The event also featured a cultural performance by the Irigwe New Wave Dance Troupe from Plateau State.
