The Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. M. Doro, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening coordinated, data-driven, and impact-focused partnerships aimed at addressing humanitarian challenges and reducing multidimensional poverty across Nigeria.
The Honourable Minister made this known during a high-level engagement with delegations from the Howard University Global Initiative Nigeria and the Excellence Community Education and Welfare Scheme, where he outlined the Ministry’s strategic direction under the newly introduced “One Response System”—a unified framework designed to integrate humanitarian interventions with sustainable poverty reduction outcomes.
He emphasized that future collaborations must align strictly with national priorities and be guided by credible data to ensure efficiency, transparency, and measurable impact. According to him, the Ministry is repositioning its approach to ensure that humanitarian assistance transitions into structured poverty graduation pathways that deliver long-term economic empowerment for beneficiaries.
The Honourable Minister further highlighted the importance of strengthening the National Social Register, which currently captures about 19.7 million vulnerable households, noting that it will serve as a central tool for targeting interventions, reducing duplication, and improving coordination among stakeholders.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olubunmi Olusanya, welcomed the visiting delegations and reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to fostering partnerships that bring value and align with its mandate. He noted that collaboration with credible organizations remains critical to achieving sustainable outcomes in humanitarian response, social protection, and poverty eradication.
The Permanent Secretary commended the visiting organizations for their contributions to strengthening systems in Nigeria, particularly in the areas of healthcare delivery, capacity building, and community-based interventions, and expressed optimism that the engagement would yield practical and impactful results.
Speaking on behalf of the visiting institutions, Dr. Dorothy Oqua, Country Director of Howard University Global Initiative Nigeria, reaffirmed the organization’s long-standing engagement in Nigeria spanning over two decades. She highlighted its work in strengthening pharmacy systems, improving healthcare delivery, and building capacity across both public and private sectors.
Dr. Oqua expressed readiness to collaborate further with the Ministry in areas such as research, data systems, community health delivery, and support for vulnerable populations, particularly in underserved and conflict-affected regions.
Also speaking, Dr. Andy Eyo, Chief Executive Officer of Excellence Community Education and Welfare Scheme, underscored the importance of strategic partnerships in delivering impactful and accountable programmes. He noted that his organization has successfully managed large-scale donor-funded initiatives and expressed confidence that collaboration with the Ministry would further showcase Nigeria’s capacity for effective programme delivery.
He also extended an invitation to the Honourable Minister to serve as keynote speaker at the organization’s forthcoming 25th anniversary scheduled for June 19, which will bring together key development partners and stakeholders.
In attendance were the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Mr. Olubunmi Olusanya; the Director, Information and Public Relations, Janet McDickson; Mrs. Deborah Manaseh, Private Assistant to the Honourable Minister; Mr. Augustine Ajijelek, Senior Technical Assistant to the Honourable Minister; Prof. Christopher Chinedumije, Senior Technical Assistant to the Honourable Minister; Mr. Daniel Dungdalyop, Senior Technical Assis tant to the Honourable Minister; and Kingsley O. Senior Information and Public Relations Officer, among others.
Janet McDickson Noah
Director, Information and PR
