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 its approach to humanitarian assistance from short-term palliatives to sustainable pathways for recovery, empowerment and self-reliance.
The initiative, themed “From Palliatives to Pathways,” was unveiled on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja, by the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON, who served as Special Guest of Honour.
The launch was organised by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction as part of broader reforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s humanitarian response and social protection architecture.
Senator Tinubu commended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard M. Doro, and his team for their efforts to transform humanitarian interventions from temporary relief into sustainable opportunities that enable vulnerable Nigerians to recover, become empowered and achieve self-reliance.
She said the initiatives would improve the identification and targeting of vulnerable households, strengthen coordination among humanitarian and poverty-reduction programmes, provide shock-responsive assistance and promote greater accountability and measurable outcomes.
Presenting the initiatives, Doro said the launch represented a strategic shift “from palliatives to pathways,” with vulnerable households, rather than individual programmes, placed at the centre of government intervention.
According to him, the reforms are designed to tackle fragmentation, duplication and the existence of multiple, uncoordinated registries by establishing a unified national architecture that connects 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 programmes under a coordinated national framework.
He explained that the framework would be supported by unified registries, digital delivery systems, improved financing mechanisms, stronger institutions, enhanced 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 reforms would strengthen coordination and accountability across the humanitarian and social protection ecosystem.
He stressed that the ultimate measure of the initiatives would be the tangible improvement they bring to 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; the 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.
The speakers 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.
