By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
The Federal Government and the United Nations have commenced a two-day Humanitarian Transition Workshop aimed at developing a roadmap for transferring greater leadership of humanitarian coordination and response to Nigerian institutions while ensuring uninterrupted support for vulnerable populations.
The workshop, convened by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction in partnership with the United Nations, focuses on strengthening national ownership of humanitarian response through enhanced coordination, domestic resource mobilization and sustainable financing.
Speaking at the opening session, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator described the workshop as a major milestone in Nigeria’s humanitarian journey, noting that the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) has identified Nigeria as a country ready for humanitarian transition.
The UN official stressed that the transition is not a withdrawal of international support but a shift towards a system where Nigerian government institutions, local organizations and communities take the lead in humanitarian action, while the UN and development partners continue to provide technical assistance and strategic support.
According to the UN, millions of Nigerians continue to face the effects of conflict, displacement, climate change, food insecurity and protection challenges, making it imperative that the transition is carefully managed to prevent disruptions in humanitarian assistance.
The workshop is expected to produce a six-month transition roadmap and lay the foundation for a Joint Transition Action Plan, with clearly defined priorities, milestones and responsibilities for government and humanitarian partners.
Addressing participants, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction said the transition aligns with the government’s vision of building a nationally owned humanitarian coordination system under the One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS).
The Ministry said the initiative is designed to integrate humanitarian response, social protection and poverty reduction into a single national framework, reducing duplication while improving accountability, coordination and efficient use of resources.
The government noted that declining global humanitarian funding has made it necessary for Nigeria to strengthen domestic resource mobilization through increased government funding, private sector partnerships, philanthropic contributions and support from the Nigerian diaspora.
It also reaffirmed the Ministry’s readiness to assume greater responsibility for coordinating humanitarian preparedness, response and recovery efforts in collaboration with federal and state governments, development partners, civil society organizations and affected communities.
Participants at the workshop were expected to discuss Nigeria’s humanitarian priorities for 2027, institutional capacity, financing mechanisms, information management, anticipatory action and investments required to strengthen national systems.
The Federal Government expressed optimism that the outcomes of the workshop would support the development of Nigeria’s 2027 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan within the OHOPRS framework, while maintaining close collaboration with the United Nations and other humanitarian partners.
Both the Federal Government and the United Nations reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring that the transition strengthens national leadership without compromising humanitarian principles, with the ultimate goal of building a more resilient, inclusive and sustainably financed humanitarian response system for Nigeria.
