The United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, is planning to allocate $270 million towards Nigeria’s efforts in alleviating poverty and addressing humanitarian issues. As part of this commitment, UNICEF executives Christian Munduate and Eduardo Celades met with Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, in Abuja.
During the meeting, Minister Edu informed the UNICEF executives about President Bola Tinubu’s aim to uplift 133 million Nigerians out of poverty. However, no specific timeline for achieving this target was mentioned.
One of the key initiatives that UNICEF plans to support is the establishment of a humanitarian emergency operation centre. This centre will play a crucial role in monitoring, mitigating, and preventing emergencies. Additionally, UNICEF will assist the ministry in enhancing the capacity of its staff.
Minister Edu emphasized the urgent need to focus on approximately 71 million Nigerians who are categorized as “extremely poor” and live on less than $1.95 per day. She stressed the importance of swift action, stating, “We need to run at the speed of light to roll out social programs that will bring relief to the burdens of the poor.”
Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa, has been grappling with several challenges, including high levels of debt, unemployment, and insecurity. These issues have hindered the country’s growth for years.
According to a report by the World Bank last year, Nigeria’s efforts to reduce poverty have been impeded by sluggish economic growth, limited human capital, weaknesses in the labor market, and vulnerability to shocks.
Reporting on behalf of Reuters, Felix Onuah wrote this article. Elisha Bala-Gbogbo provided additional writing, while Sandra Maler carried out the editing.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
