The federal government is using artificial intelligence and satellite technology to locate and assist poor Nigerians living in urban slums, according to Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Nentawe Yilwatda.
Speaking on AriseNews, Yilwatda stated that the National Social Register has expanded from 13 million to nearly 20 million people, now covering both rural and urban poor as directed by President Bola Tinubu.
“We used satellite imagery to map slums, telecoms data to identify mobile numbers, and AI to verify identities and financial vulnerability,” Yilwatda said.
According to him, the upgraded register is now the backbone of anti-poverty efforts targeting 15 million households, roughly 75 million Nigerians with cash transfers and other interventions.
Meanwhile, Nigeria has an estimated 43 million households.
On food insecurity, the minister said 42% of Nigerians about 80 million people face food poverty.
The Minister explained that to ease the burden, 15 million households are receiving N75,000 each in conditional cash transfers.
A World Bank-backed study found 18% of beneficiaries used the funds to start small businesses.
