Minister Seeks Stronger EU Partnership to Tackle Poverty

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, has called for closer cooperation between Nigeria and the European Union to improve humanitarian assistance and reduce poverty, especially at a time when global funding for aid is declining. He made the appeal during a series of high-level meetings in Brussels, Belgium, with members of the European Parliament and senior European Union officials.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Technical Adviser on Information Systems and Data Analysis, Abimbola Fasanu, the meetings focused on humanitarian financing, social protection and poverty reduction.

During the discussions, the minister urged governments and development partners to make better use of available resources by replacing isolated programmes with coordinated systems that deliver lasting results.

Doro introduced Nigeria’s One Humanitarian–One Poverty Response System, describing it as a national framework created to combine humanitarian support, social protection and poverty reduction into a single response.

He said the initiative is expected to improve coordination among agencies, reduce duplication, strengthen accountability and provide long-term support for vulnerable people.

The minister explained that the goal of the framework is to build a more effective system that delivers better results while making the best use of limited resources through stronger partnerships and coordination.

He also spoke about Nigeria’s humanitarian challenges, noting that insecurity, internal displacement, food shortages and climate-related disasters continue to affect millions of people across the country.

While acknowledging the Federal Government’s efforts under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to improve humanitarian services, social protection and economic empowerment programmes, Doro said the size of the current challenges makes stronger cooperation with development partners and the international community necessary.

He called for increased investment in long-term support for internally displaced persons through skills acquisition, livelihood programmes, social inclusion and community development projects that can help affected people rebuild their lives.

The minister also requested more technical assistance, institutional support, knowledge sharing and strategic partnerships to help implement the One Humanitarian–One Poverty Response System and strengthen Nigeria’s humanitarian response.

Doro welcomed the European Union’s continued support for humanitarian programmes and expressed confidence that ongoing discussions on future funding would improve efforts to assist vulnerable people, support host communities and build stronger, more resilient societies.

He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to working with the European Union and other development partners to develop coordinated, evidence-based and sustainable humanitarian systems that can respond to emerging challenges while reducing poverty across the country.