The Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard M. Doro, has received the Regional Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) for West and Central Africa, Ms. Kinday Samba, and her delegation on a courtesy visit to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Abuja.
Welcoming the WFP delegation, the Honourable Minister expressed appreciation for the longstanding partnership between the World Food Programme and the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly in supporting humanitarian interventions, food security, nutrition and vulnerable populations across the country.
Dr. Doro noted that, he had recently returned from a series of international engagements, including meetings in the United States with the World Bank and other development partners, where discussions centred on strengthening social protection in Nigeria and advancing the country’s humanitarian and poverty reduction priorities.
He explained that, Nigeria has an important policy direction that it is seeking to present to the international community, particularly, through the One Humanitarian – One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS), the Ministry’s flagship initiative aimed at strengthening coordination across humanitarian response and poverty reduction interventions.
According to the Minister, the ambition is to move away from fragmented and siloed approaches to humanitarian assistance, social protection and poverty reduction towards a more coordinated system that can effectively identify vulnerabilities, connect interventions and create sustainable pathways for vulnerable households.
Dr. Doro stressed that Nigeria’s objective is not merely to initiate another programme, but to institutionalise OHOPRS as a sustainable national framework that can endure beyond individual political office holders and administrations. He disclosed that, the Ministry is finalising a policy memorandum for consideration by the Federal Executive Council, with the expectation that the institutionalisation process will provide the framework for continuity and long-term implementation.
The Minister further emphasised that, the successful implementation of OHOPRS could position Nigeria as a model for coordinated humanitarian and poverty reduction interventions across Africa and beyond, noting that effective implementation would demonstrate how nationally owned systems can deliver more coherent and sustainable responses to vulnerability.
He also identified logistics as one of the practical challenges confronting humanitarian and nutrition interventions, noting that even where food and nutritional commodities are available, difficulties in transporting and delivering such supplies to intended locations can affect timely assistance to vulnerable populations.
On the transition towards greater national ownership of humanitarian response, the Honourable Minister stressed that, the process must be deliberate, structured and procedural rather than rushed. He noted that the necessary institutional systems, technical capacity and coordination mechanisms must be strengthened to ensure that the transition is sustainable and effective.
Dr. Doro also acknowledged the role of development and humanitarian partners in supporting Nigeria’s efforts, while emphasising the importance of national leadership and ownership in determining the country’s humanitarian and social protection priorities.
Earlier, the Director, Humanitarian Affairs Department, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Mrs. Catherina Bulus, in her welcome remarks, expressed appreciation to the WFP for its continued partnership and support to the Federal Government, particularly in humanitarian assistance, food security and nutrition interventions.
Mrs. Bulus noted that the visit provided an important opportunity to strengthen the relationship between the Ministry and WFP, exchange perspectives on emerging humanitarian priorities and explore areas of deeper collaboration in support of vulnerable Nigerians.
The WFP Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Ms. Kinday Samba, reaffirmed WFP’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s humanitarian and social protection priorities. She noted that, the drivers of food insecurity and poverty are closely interconnected and therefore, require integrated responses rather than interventions developed in isolation.
Ms. Samba emphasised that, social protection programmes provide an important avenue for reaching vulnerable populations who may not otherwise be reached through conventional humanitarian interventions. She noted that, WFP’s evolving approach is increasingly focused on supporting governments to strengthen their own systems and capacity, rather than creating parallel structures.
The Regional Director also highlighted the Benazir Income Support Programme in Pakistan as an example of a national social protection system that has survived and evolved over successive administrations. She encouraged Nigeria to explore lessons from the Pakistani experience, not through direct replication of the model, but by examining approaches that could inform the development and institutionalisation of Nigeria’s own framework.
She offered WFP’s support in facilitating a possible learning engagement with relevant authorities in Pakistan, where Nigeria could further examine the implementation, institutional arrangements and evolution of the programme.
Ms. Samba further reaffirmed WFP’s readiness to provide technical expertise and assistance to support Nigeria’s national objectives, particularly as the country strengthens its humanitarian coordination and social protection architecture.
She also stressed that WFP’s forthcoming Country Strategic Plan for Nigeria would be developed in close consultation with the Federal Government and grounded in national priorities, noting that, the Ministry would remain an important partner in defining the strategic direction and objectives of WFP’s future engagement in Nigeria.
The Regional Director commended Nigeria’s efforts towards greater national ownership of humanitarian response and expressed WFP’s willingness to support the country in making the transition effective, sustainable and aligned with national priorities.
The engagement reaffirmed the shared commitment of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction and the World Food Programme to strengthening humanitarian coordination, improving food and nutrition security, expanding social protection and advancing sustainable pathways for vulnerable Nigerians.
