FG Launches $1bn HOPE-SP To Move Humanitarian Support Beyond Palliatives

The Federal Government has launched the $1 billion Household Prosperity and Economic Social Protection Project (HOPE-SP), signalling a shift from short-term palliatives towards sustainable support for vulnerable households.

The initiative, themed “From Palliatives to Pathways,” was unveiled on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja, by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

The launch was organised by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction as part of broader reforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s humanitarian response and social protection systems.

Speaking at the event, the First Lady commended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, and his team for efforts to transform humanitarian interventions from temporary assistance into pathways towards recovery, empowerment and self-reliance.

She said the initiatives would improve the identification and targeting of vulnerable households, strengthen coordination among humanitarian and poverty-reduction programmes, provide shock-responsive assistance and promote accountability and measurable results.

In his presentation, Doro said the reforms were designed to place vulnerable households at the centre of government intervention rather than allowing programmes to operate in isolation.

He said the One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS) would serve as a major system reform by bringing humanitarian response, social protection and poverty-reduction interventions under a coordinated national framework.

According to him, the framework would link unified registries, digital delivery systems, improved financing, stronger institutions, accountability and real-time intelligence to reduce fragmentation, duplication and uncoordinated interventions.

Other initiatives unveiled at the event included the Emergency Shock-Responsive Cash Transfer, the FMHAPR Ministerial Blueprint and the Humanitarian First Magazine, which is expected to document the experiences and impact of government interventions on beneficiaries.

Read also:

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Olubunmi Olusanya, said the reforms would strengthen coordination and accountability, adding that the ultimate measure of success would be the tangible improvement in the lives of vulnerable Nigerians.

Goodwill messages were delivered by Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum on behalf of governors and sub-national governments, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning Abubakar Bagudu, former Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs Yusuf Tanko Sununu, the European Union, World Bank and other development partners.

The speakers commended the Federal Government’s efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s humanitarian and social protection systems.

The event also featured a cultural performance by the Irigwe New Wave Dance Troupe from Plateau State.