The federal government is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite technology to identify and support impoverished Nigerians living in urban slums, according to Nentawe Yilwatda, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.
Speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme, Yilwatda said the use of AI has significantly expanded the National Social Register, which now includes nearly 20 million Nigerians. Originally designed to capture only the rural poor, the register has grown from 13 million to 19.7 million individuals. Following a directive from President Bola Tinubu, the ministry extended the register to also cover the urban poor. To achieve this, satellite imagery was used to identify slum areas, while telecommunications data helped pinpoint residents via their mobile numbers.
“We used satellite imagery to locate urban slums, then base stations and telecoms data to identify phone numbers in those locations,” the minister explained. “AI helped us generate a list of urban poor individuals by verifying those numbers, their access to financial services, and other indicators.”
The expanded register now enables the government to implement more inclusive anti-poverty programmes, reaching both rural and urban populations. According to Yilwatda, approximately 15 million households—equivalent to 75 million people—are being targeted through various poverty alleviation initiatives. Given that Nigeria has an estimated 43 million households, this intervention covers a substantial portion of the population.
Addressing the issue of hunger, Yilwatda revealed that around 42 percent of Nigerians suffer from food poverty—translating to roughly 80 million individuals, or 20 million households. As part of its response, the government is providing conditional cash transfers to 15 million affected households. Each household receives ₦75,000—a figure the minister acknowledged may seem modest in urban areas but offers significant relief in rural settings.
Research conducted in collaboration with the World Bank and civil society organizations found that 18 percent of recipients used the funds to start small businesses, 82 percent improved their food security, and 52 percent paid their children’s school fees. “It is a meaningful supplement that helps cushion the impact of poverty,” Yilwatda noted.
Beyond immediate relief efforts, the minister emphasized the government’s focus on long-term structural reforms. These include the allocation of ₦1.5 trillion in loans through the Aggregate Bank to support farmers and enhance food production, as well as scholarship schemes aimed at keeping students in school despite financial hardship.
Yilwatda highlighted a strategic transition from emergency humanitarian assistance to sustainable poverty reduction. “Poverty alleviation reduces the pain; poverty reduction moves people out of poverty entirely,” he said. “Until now, the focus was mainly on humanitarian interventions—relief materials, food distribution, and cash transfers. But that’s not enough. We’re shifting towards actually reducing poverty.”
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