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President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Community-Based National Social Action Fund Task Force to drive grassroots development and accelerate socio-economic improvements across Nigeria’s 8,804 wards.
Mr. Ado Bako, Assistant Director of Information and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday night in Abuja. According to him, the initiative will deploy community-driven interventions tailored to local needs, with each ward engaging a verified community-based entity, organisation, or association to implement priority projects.
He said the approval builds on earlier reforms, including the creation of the Social Action Fund (SAF) in September 2023 and the Community-Based Procurement Platform approved in January 2026, designed to simplify access for community organisations to deliver projects of up to N50 million.
Bako added that, to ensure effective implementation, the president approved a project timeline commencing March 1, with delivery expected by December.
He also noted that a programme management unit would be domiciled in the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAP) coordination office of the ministry to oversee execution.
Furthermore, he said the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation had been directed to release N17 billion into a ring-fenced special intervention account to support implementation, monitoring, communication, and accountability.
Bako stated that the task force would be chaired by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare and include the Minister of Finance, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, and the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
Other members include the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, and a National Coordinator.
Speaking on the development, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, said the initiative marks a shift toward locally driven service delivery.
