Abuja, June 30, 2024 – The European Union (EU) has granted Nigeria €46 million for its 2021 to 2027 poverty alleviation programmme.
Massimo De Luca, Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, announced the grant at the 3rd edition of the Social Protection Cross-Learning Summit (SPECS) in Abuja.
He said it was critical to reducing poverty across the country and called on the federal and state governments to increase financing for social protection interventions.
“Already we are finalising processes with UNICEF and GIZ to implement the project in the focal states,” he said.
De Luc cited a World Bank’s report, which put Nigeria’s poor at 104 million or 46 per cent of the population in 2023, and said: “Investing in social protection means investing in our collective future, fostering resilience, and ensuring that every individual has the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the society despite background, location or uncertainties.”
He reiterated the commitment of the EU to collaborating with the Federal Government towards addressing issues around poverty in the country.
De Luca said the intervention would support the strengthening of social protection system, “which looks at interoperability of related database, and ensuring functional shock responsive social register, while supporting three states in the North East with safety nets programme that targets climate change affected communities.”
