FG Uses AI and Satellite Tech to Expand Social Support to Urban Poor – Minister Yilwatda
According to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Nentawe Yilwatda, the federal government is now harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite technology to locate and support Nigerians living in urban slums.
Speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time, Yilwatda revealed that these technologies have enabled the expansion of the National Social Register from 13 million to nearly 20 million individuals. Originally meant to track rural poor households, the register now includes urban dwellers, following President Bola Tinubu’s directive to broaden the reach.
“We used satellite imagery to locate urban slums, then base stations and telecoms data to identify phone numbers in those locations,” the minister said. “AI helped us generate a list of urban poor individuals by verifying those numbers, their access to financial services, and other indicators.”
With about 43 million households in Nigeria, Yilwatda said 15 million households—or roughly 75 million Nigerians—are being targeted with poverty alleviation programmes.
On hunger, he noted that 42% of Nigerians (about 80 million people) are experiencing food poverty. To ease the crisis, the government is distributing conditional cash transfers of ₦75,000 to 15 million households. While the amount may seem small for urban areas, he stressed its real impact in rural communities.
“Research in collaboration with the World Bank and civil society organisations showed that 18% of recipients started small businesses, 82% improved their food security, and 52% paid school fees,” he stated.
Yilwatda also discussed longer-term strategies. These include ₦1.5 trillion in loans for farmers through the aggregate bank and scholarship schemes to keep students in school.
He concluded by highlighting a shift in focus: “Poverty alleviation reduces the pain; poverty reduction moves people out of poverty entirely. 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.”
