Humanitarian Minister Doro Calls for Stronger EU-Nigeria Anti-Poverty Alliance

Nigeria's Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, has appealed for enhanced collaboration between Nigeria and the European Union. This call aims to bolster humanitarian efforts and support vulnerable populations, especially in light of diminishing global aid resources.

Doro conveyed this message during a series of high-level meetings held in Brussels, Belgium. There, he engaged with Members of the European Parliament, Leire Pajín and Hana Jalloul Muro, alongside senior European Union officials. Their discussions focused on critical areas such as humanitarian financing, social protection strategies, and poverty alleviation initiatives.

The Minister's stance was communicated via a statement released on Sunday by his Senior Technical Adviser on Information Systems and Data Analysis, Abimbola Fasanu. In the statement, Doro implored governments and development partners to optimize scarce development resources. He advocated for a shift from fragmented interventions to well-coordinated, efficient, and results-oriented systems capable of delivering sustainable outcomes for communities facing hardship.

Minister Doro also introduced Nigeria's key reform project, the 'One Humanitarian–One Poverty Response System' (OHOPRS). He described this as a national framework designed to integrate humanitarian assistance, social protection, and poverty reduction into a unified, coordinated response. According to the Minister, this initiative is expected to improve coordination, eliminate redundancy, enhance accountability, and establish lasting pathways that transition individuals from vulnerability to resilience and prosperity.

“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,” Doro stated.

He further highlighted Nigeria's pressing humanitarian challenges, noting that insecurity, internal displacement, food scarcity, and climate-induced crises continue to impact millions across the nation. While acknowledging the Federal Government's efforts under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to fortify humanitarian response, social protection, and economic empowerment schemes, the Minister emphasized that the sheer magnitude of current humanitarian needs necessitates ongoing cooperation among governments, aid organizations, development partners, and the global community.

Doro also pushed for increased investment in sustainable solutions for internally displaced persons (IDPs). These solutions include skills development, livelihood support, social inclusion programs, and community resilience initiatives, all aimed at enabling displaced individuals to rebuild their lives with dignity.

Additionally, the Minister sought greater technical assistance, institutional capacity building, knowledge exchange, and strategic partnerships to facilitate the implementation of the OHOPRS framework and strengthen Nigeria's overall humanitarian response infrastructure. He expressed appreciation for the European Union's consistent dedication to humanitarian action and conveyed optimism that ongoing discussions regarding future humanitarian financing would reinforce global efforts to safeguard vulnerable populations, support host communities, and foster long-term resilience.

Minister Doro concluded by reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to collaborating closely with the European Union and other development partners. The goal is to establish more coordinated, data-driven, and sustainable humanitarian systems capable of effectively addressing emerging challenges while accelerating poverty reduction nationwide.