The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, has reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s dedication to reducing humanitarian crisis and poverty in Nigeria.
In a statement released by her Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Rasheed Olanrewaju, the minister highlighted the Federal Government’s assumption of the Youth Empowerment and Social Support Operations (YESSO) and the Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) Programs. The second phase of these programs has been officially launched.
The Youth Empowerment and Social Support Operations is a social safety net initiative aimed at enhancing the employment opportunities for poor and vulnerable youths. It also provides targeted cash transfers to individuals who are poor, vulnerable, or internally displaced across Nigeria.
Similarly, the Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) offers grants for the human capital development of communities and vulnerable groups, enabling them to undertake various development initiatives. The program focuses on areas such as education, health, rural electrification, water supply, transportation, socio-economic development, environment/natural resources, and community housing.
The statement emphasized that the World Bank has provided support for these programs.
President Tinubu has unfolded the sustainability plans for YESSO and CSDP 2.0 (Phase Two) through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, according to the statement. It clarified that recent appointments made by the minister for these programs were necessary to ensure effective goal delivery and attract other development partners. The programs have not been completely phased out or terminated, contrary to a misleading report by a national daily.
The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, under the leadership of Dr. Edu, has established proper structures before the smooth implementation of the second phase of the programs. The National Social Safety Net office will fund the launch of these programs, as outlined in their sustainability plan.
The statement explained that the restructuring of the programs was aimed at improving delivery based on the new mandate of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, resulting in the birth of the 2.0 CSDP and YESSO programs. Both programs are now fully owned by the Federal Government under the ministry’s purview.
