The African Union (AU) has appointed Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, to represent West Africa on the Governing Board of the newly established African Humanitarian Agency (AfHA).

A statement yesterday by the Senior Technical Adviser on Information Systems and Data Analysis to the minister, Dr Abimbola Fasanu, said that the appointment was announced on Monday by the AU.

The appointment is for a non-renewable term of three years.

According to the statement, Doro’s nomination was endorsed by the West African regional caucus, coordinated by Senegal in its capacity as Regional Dean, and formally communicated by the African Union Commission.

Doro would serve on the Governing Board alongside Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Léon Kacou Adom, who was also nominated to represent the West African region.

The African Humanitarian Agency was established by the AU to strengthen the continent’s capacity to prevent, prepare for and respond to humanitarian crises through coordinated African-led interventions.

The Governing Board would provide strategic oversight for the agency’s institutional development, policy direction, regional coordination and humanitarian response, including the establishment of Regional Humanitarian Centres across Africa.

The statement added: “The appointment reflects growing continental recognition of Nigeria’s leadership in humanitarian affairs, social protection, and poverty reduction.

“It also provides an important platform for Nigeria to contribute its experience in advancing coordinated humanitarian systems and sustainable development solutions across Africa.”

In his reaction, Doro described the appointment as a national honour and a continental responsibility.

He said the appointment showed Nigeria’s commitment to advancing innovative and coordinated humanitarian solutions and would provide an opportunity to contribute to shaping Africa’s humanitarian future through stronger partnerships, knowledge sharing and resilient systems.

The minister reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to working with the African Union, member states, development partners and humanitarian organisations to strengthen regional cooperation, improve humanitarian coordination and support lasting solutions for displaced and vulnerable populations across Africa.

The statement hinted that Doro is expected to participate in the inaugural briefing of the Governing Board later this month as the African Humanitarian Agency begins implementing its continental mandate.

According to the statement, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has, under the administration of President Bola Tinubu, introduced reforms aimed at strengthening humanitarian coordination, expanding social protection and supporting internally displaced persons, returning migrants and other vulnerable groups through the One Humanitarian-One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS).

The statement added that the initiative was designed to integrate humanitarian assistance, social protection and poverty reduction into a unified national framework.