BOA Partner to Move Vulnerable Nigerians into Livelihoods

The Federal Government has partnered with the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) to help vulnerable Nigerians move from humanitarian assistance to sustainable livelihoods.

The partnership was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction and BOA. It will connect beneficiaries of government social protection programmes with agricultural finance, productive inputs, value-chain opportunities, skills and enterprise support.

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, said the National Social Register contains information on about 20 million vulnerable households, representing roughly 80 million people. More than 10 million individuals on the register have so far been validated using their National Identification Numbers.

Doro described the register as the largest of its kind in Africa and said it would allow government and development partners to target support based on beneficiaries’ specific circumstances rather than relying on broad programmes.

“We have something to bring to this partnership, and you too have something definitely to bring,” Doro said.

He explained that the register uses vulnerability assessments, community-based targeting, data collection, verification and analysis. He said community participation remains important because poverty affects regions and communities differently.

The minister said the verified database would help the government connect vulnerable Nigerians with opportunities that improve their economic prospects. He added that the partnership supports reforms aimed at reducing duplication, waste and leakages in humanitarian programmes.

Through the One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS), the ministry aims to coordinate humanitarian response and poverty reduction more effectively.

BOA Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Ayodeji Oludare said the bank would provide financial and technical support to improve beneficiaries’ productivity and income. Support could include fertiliser, seeds and other agricultural inputs.

Oludare said BOA could also develop economic profiles for participating farmers and create suitable credit-scoring systems to improve access to finance.

Under the BOA partnership, the ministry will identify eligible beneficiaries and coordinate relevant programmes, while the bank will develop financing, financial inclusion and value-chain solutions tailored to vulnerable groups.

The agreement also covers women’s empowerment, youth development, climate resilience, skills, rural development, food security and digital financial services.

Could this partnership help turn Nigeria’s social protection programmes into lasting economic opportunities?