The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, has warned that widespread poverty is shrinking business opportunities in Nigeria by excluding millions of people from meaningful economic activity.

He said businesses were losing potential customers and workers because many Nigerians lacked the purchasing power and opportunities needed to participate fully in the economy.

Doro spoke on Saturday in Abuja at the 2026 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, held under the theme, “United for Peace and Human Rights,” with a focus on “Safe Homes for All.”

Making a direct appeal to the private sector, the minister said poverty reduction should be viewed not merely as a humanitarian responsibility but also as an investment in economic growth.

“When you have 63 per cent of your population living in multidimensional poverty, what you’re doing is excluding 63 per cent from economic activation,” he said.

He argued that lifting vulnerable Nigerians out of poverty would expand the consumer market, improve productivity and create opportunities for businesses to grow.

Doro called for a shift from emergency handouts to sustainable interventions that enable households to become economically independent.

“Palliatives help a family survive a crisis. Pathways ensure that that family does not need palliatives again,” he said.

He described this approach as moving “from palliatives to pathways”, stressing that government assistance must help people build lasting livelihoods rather than depend indefinitely on relief.

The minister illustrated the challenge with the story of a hardworking mother whose family repeatedly loses its savings and livelihood whenever flooding, conflict or eviction forces them to leave their home.

“That mother is not short of effort. She is short of a foundation,” he said. According to him, safe housing provides the stability families need to educate their children, maintain good health and build sustainable businesses.

He warned that inadequate shelter, poor sanitation, unemployment and limited access to essential services could reinforce one another and make it harder for households to escape poverty.

Doro said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was pursuing a coordinated approach through the Household Prosperity and Economic Social Protection Project and the ministry’s One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System.

The initiatives, he explained, seek to connect humanitarian assistance with social protection, economic inclusion and pathways to self-reliance.

He called for stronger collaboration among federal, state and local governments, development partners, financial institutions and private businesses.

The minister also stressed the need for durable solutions for internally displaced persons, including safe resettlement and access to sustainable livelihoods.

He said poverty reduction was closely linked to peace and security, adding that economic exclusion could deepen social tensions.

Doro urged stakeholders to measure success by tangible improvements in people’s lives, including safer homes, sustainable businesses and families capable of withstanding economic shocks without repeatedly depending on emergency assistance.

He maintained that expanding economic opportunities for vulnerable Nigerians would benefit households and strengthen the wider economy.

For businesses, he said, helping people escape poverty could translate into a larger customer base, a stronger workforce and improved economic activity.