Minister seeks stronger Nigeria-EU ties to fight poverty

Nigeria's Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, has urged for enhanced collaboration between Nigeria and the European Union to bolster humanitarian responses and support vulnerable populations. This call comes amid a global decline in aid resources, emphasizing the need for more efficient and coordinated efforts.

During high-level meetings in Brussels with European Parliament members and senior EU officials, Minister Doro presented Nigeria's "One Humanitarian–One Poverty Response System." He described this initiative as a national framework designed to integrate humanitarian assistance, social protection, and poverty reduction into a single, coordinated response. The goal, he stated, is to maximize limited development resources by moving away from fragmented interventions towards results-driven systems capable of delivering sustainable outcomes.

"Our objective is to build smarter systems that maximise available resources and deliver lasting impact for vulnerable communities," Doro said. "Through stronger coordination and strategic partnerships, we can achieve greater efficiency and better development outcomes." He stressed that this integrated approach would improve coordination, eliminate duplication, strengthen accountability, and create pathways from vulnerability to resilience and prosperity.

The minister also detailed Nigeria's significant humanitarian challenges, including widespread insecurity, internal displacement, food insecurity, and the impact of climate-related shocks affecting millions. While acknowledging the Federal Government's efforts under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's "Renewed Hope Agenda," Doro emphasized that the scale of current needs necessitates sustained collaboration among governments, humanitarian agencies, development partners, and the international community. He specifically advocated for increased investment in durable solutions for internally displaced persons, focusing on skills development, livelihood support, social inclusion, and community resilience programs.

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Our objective is to build smarter systems that maximise available resources and deliver lasting impact for vulnerable communities. Through stronger coordination and strategic partnerships, we can achieve greater efficiency and better development outcomes.