The Federal Government has launched the $1 billion Household Prosperity and Economic Social Protection Project (HOPE-SP), aimed at moving humanitarian support from temporary palliatives to sustainable pathways for recovery, empowerment and self-reliance among vulnerable Nigerians.
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, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
Speaking at the event, the First Lady commended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Doro, and his team for their efforts to transform humanitarian interventions into sustainable support for vulnerable households.
She said the initiatives would strengthen the way vulnerable Nigerians were identified and supported.
“The initiatives are designed to improve the identification, targeting and support of vulnerable households,” she said.
Oluremi Tinubu added that the reforms would strengthen coordination among humanitarian and poverty-reduction programmes.
“They will strengthen coordination across humanitarian and poverty-reduction programmes, provide shock-responsive assistance, and promote accountability and measurable outcomes,” she said.
The First Lady said the approach would help ensure that government interventions produced lasting benefits for beneficiaries rather than providing only temporary relief.
In his presentation, Doro described the launch as a major shift in the government’s approach to humanitarian intervention.
“The launch represents a strategic shift from palliatives to pathways,” he said.
The Minister explained that the new approach would place vulnerable households at the centre of government interventions rather than treating programmes as isolated initiatives.
According to him, the reform would address “fragmentation, duplication and multiple uncoordinated registries” within the humanitarian and poverty-reduction system.
He said the government was working towards a unified national architecture that would connect identification, needs assessment, targeted intervention, protection, empowerment, poverty graduation and sustainable growth.
Doro said the One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS) would be central to the reform.
“OHOPRS will serve as a major system reform, bringing humanitarian response, social protection and poverty reduction interventions into a coordinated national framework,” he said.
He added that the framework would be supported by unified registries, digital delivery systems, improved financing, stronger institutions, accountability and real-time intelligence.
The Minister said the ultimate objective was to ensure that vulnerable Nigerians were identified correctly and received appropriate assistance.
He said the shift from palliatives to sustainable pathways would give beneficiaries opportunities to recover, become economically empowered and gradually move out of poverty.
Other initiatives unveiled 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, Mr Olubunmi Olusanya, said the reforms would improve coordination and accountability in the delivery of humanitarian and social protection interventions.
He stressed that the success of the initiatives would ultimately be determined by their impact on ordinary Nigerians.
“The ultimate measure of success would be the tangible difference made in the lives of vulnerable Nigerians,” Olusanya said.
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; the European Union; the World Bank; and other international development partners also commended the Federal Government’s efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s humanitarian and social protection systems.
The partners expressed support for reforms aimed at improving coordination, accountability and the effectiveness of interventions targeted at vulnerable Nigerians.
The event also featured a cultural performance by the Irigwe New Wave Dance Troupe from Plateau State.