The Federal Government has unveiled the $1 billion Household Prosperity and Economic Social Protection Project (HOPE-SP), as part of efforts to move Nigeria’s humanitarian interventions from short-term palliatives to sustainable pathways for recovery, empowerment and self-reliance.
The initiative was launched on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at the Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja, by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu CON, who served as Special Guest of Honour.
Speaking at the event, the First Lady commended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard M. Doro, and his team for their commitment to reforming the country’s humanitarian and social protection architecture.
She said the initiatives were designed to improve the identification, targeting and support of vulnerable households, while strengthening coordination among humanitarian and poverty-reduction programmes.
According to her, the reforms would also provide shock-responsive assistance, promote accountability and ensure that government interventions deliver measurable outcomes.
In his presentation, Doro said the launch marked a strategic shift “from palliatives to pathways”, with vulnerable households, rather than individual programmes, placed at the centre of government interventions.
He explained that the reform would address fragmentation, duplication and the existence of multiple uncoordinated registries by creating a unified national architecture linking identification, needs assessment, targeted intervention, protection, empowerment, poverty graduation and sustainable growth.
A major component of the reform is the One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS), which will integrate humanitarian response, social protection and poverty reduction programmes into a coordinated national framework.
The system is expected to be supported by unified registries, digital delivery platforms, improved financing mechanisms, stronger institutions, accountability measures 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 will document the experiences and impact of government interventions on beneficiaries.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, 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 the Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, on behalf of governors and sub-national governments; Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar A. Bagudu; former Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu; the European Union; the World Bank; and other international development partners.
They commended the Federal Government’s efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s humanitarian and social protection systems.
The event also featured a cultural performance by the Irigwe New Wave Dance Troupe from Plateau State.
