From left: Director, Social Development, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Mr Valentine Ezulu; Country Director, Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), Funmilayo Ayeni; Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro and Associate Director, Policy, IPA, Henry Chukwu during the National Poverty Intelligence Lab workshop in Abuja yesterday
By Uzo Ugwunze
The Federal Government has launched the National Poverty Intelligence Lab (NPIL), a data-driven initiative aimed at transforming poverty reduction efforts and ensuring interventions reach the most vulnerable Nigerians.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Doro, unveiled the initiative during a three-day workshop in Abuja, organized in partnership with Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA).
Data-driven fight against poverty
Doro described the NPIL as the “intelligence backbone” of Nigeria’s poverty reduction strategy, saying it would replace guesswork with evidence-based policymaking.
According to him, the platform will support policy formulation, programme implementation, resource allocation, and performance monitoring under the One Humanitarian One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS).
He said the government was shifting from short-term palliatives to sustainable pathways that help vulnerable households permanently escape poverty.
Tinubu’s commitment
The minister reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to reducing poverty through coordinated, accountable, and measurable interventions.
He stressed that humanitarian assistance, social protection, and resilience-building must operate as one integrated system rather than isolated programmes.
Partners back initiative
Country Representative of IPA, Mrs. Fumi Ayeni, said the collaboration would help identify the actual needs of poor and vulnerable Nigerians while eliminating duplication of interventions.
She noted that evidence-based policies would strengthen Nigeria’s efforts to lift millions out of poverty.
Senior Technical Adviser to the Minister on Information Systems and Data Analysis, Dr. Abimbola Fasanu, described data as a strategic national asset, saying the new system would enable faster, smarter, and more measurable decisions.
She added that the initiative would also provide a roadmap for building a modern evidence architecture to improve humanitarian and poverty reduction programmes nationwide.
Tags: Poverty, Federal Government, Bernard Doro, Tinubu, Humanitarian Affairs
