The ongoing efforts of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to address the multitude of humanitarian challenges received a boost on Thursday with the launch of the National Policy 2025-2030 on cash and voucher assistance for vulnerable groups across the country.
The Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Hon. Yusuf Sununu, who unveiled the policy in Abuja, expressed the determination of the Ministry to ensure that the benefits of cash and voucher assistance reach all deserving households in Nigeria.
The Minister, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Yakubu Kofarmata, reiterated the Ministry’s unwavering commitment to lead and coordinate efforts that ensure effective implementation and monitoring of this policy at all levels.
He described the official launch of the National Cash and Voucher Assistance Policy in the Humanitarian Context and its Implementation Plan as the culmination of collective vision, dedication and collaboration among all humanitarian actors and partners who have worked tirelessly to build a more efficient, coordinated and people-centred response system in Nigeria.
Honorable. Sununu stated that the policymaking process was “guided by the shared understanding that cash and voucher assistance represents one of the most dignified, transparent and empowering modalities for the delivery of humanitarian aid, ensuring that crisis-affected people have access to essential goods and services and make decisions based on their needs and priorities, while stimulating local markets and contributing to early recovery and resilience.
“Through years of consultations, technical reviews and validation sessions, the Cash Working Group, in collaboration with our partners, worked diligently to ensure that this policy reflects global best practices while being uniquely tailored to the Nigerian context and operational realities.
“The National Cash and Voucher Assistance Policy represents an important milestone in Nigeria’s humanitarian architecture. It provides a strategic and operational framework to ensure that cash-based interventions are coherent, accountable and harmonized among all actors: government, UN agencies, NGOs and development partners alike.
“The fundamental importance of this policy lies in its ability to institutionalize cash and voucher assistance as a primary humanitarian tool, ensuring that support to affected populations is efficient, transparent and aligned with national priorities. Beyond efficiency, this policy is about empowerment, restoration of dignity, choice and self-determination of distressed households.
“As we unveil the 2025-2030 policy and its implementation plan today, I wish to emphasize that its impact will not only be achieved through collective action but through our shared commitment to operationalize and institutionalize it at the subnational level, where the realities of humanitarian response are most acute.
“I therefore call on all state governments, local government authorities and our partners across the humanitarian and development spectrum to adopt and incorporate this policy into their operational frameworks. Let us strengthen coordination, promote accountability and ensure that the benefits of cash and voucher assistance reach all deserving households in Nigeria.
“This launch should mark the beginning of a new phase, one in which humanitarian assistance is more coherent, dignified and impactful, leaving no one behind in our national commitment to reduce poverty and human suffering.”
While applauding the tireless efforts of development partners and subnational governments to address the multitude of humanitarian challenges, H.E. Sununu expressed optimism about the ability of stakeholders to “transform humanitarian assistance into a tool that not only saves lives but also builds resilience, promotes inclusion and accelerates recovery. Distinguished guests, the task ahead is clear: convert this policy from paper to practice, from vision to reality and from promise to progress.”
For his part, the Director of Humanitarian Services described the launch of the National Policy on Cash Assistance and Vouchers in the Humanitarian Context and its Implementation Plan as “a milestone in Nigeria’s humanitarian reform journey: a testament to our shared vision of building a system that is not only efficient and accountable, but also dignified and people-centred, in line with global humanitarian principles and Sphere standards of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence.
“This policy marks a strategic shift in the way humanitarian assistance is conceptualized and delivered in Nigeria. It institutionalizes cash and voucher assistance as a core component of our national humanitarian architecture, ensuring that assistance is timely, needs-based, inclusive and coordinated.
“It provides a harmonized framework for government, partners and stakeholders to deliver cash-based interventions that empower individuals and communities with freedom of choice, stimulate local markets and promote self-reliance and resilience among affected populations.
“In a context where humanitarian needs are increasing due to recurring crises (from floods and conflict to economic vulnerabilities), the Cash and Voucher Assistance Policy and its Implementation Plan will help streamline coordination, improve accountability mechanisms, strengthen data-driven targeting and ensure that assistance truly reaches those who need it most. It also reflects Nigeria’s commitment to the Grand Bargain priorities, particularly around localization, transparency and efficiency in humanitarian financing.”
Delivering his goodwill message, Mr. David Stevenson, represented by Edward Thiem, stated that the policy document aligns with “the symbol of what the UN vision is in Nigeria and in the world: to accompany capable people and governments to get to where they want to be, which is to help people regain their dignity and live above the poverty line.”
While applauding the initiative, he stressed the need to involve capable and competent people to lead humanitarian policy.
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