US To Give $2.3bn To Nigeria For Poverty Alleviation

The Federal Government has signed a $2.3bn assistance agreement aimed at fighting extreme poverty with the United States Agency for International Development.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday said the agreement would help the government to combat extreme poverty among Nigerians over the next five years.

Akande said Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo signed the agreement on behalf of the Federal Government while the USAID Head of Mission in Nigeria, Mr. Michael Harvey, signed on behalf of the US government during a meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, last week.

“The issue of the extreme poverty of a vast majority of Nigerians is a very important issue for us. It is at the heart of our economic policy. You can’t have that vast number of poor people and don’t plan around that and for us this is crucial and absolutely important,” Osinbajo was reported to have said.

The $2.3bn assistance will cover activities from 2015 through 2020, with the objective of helping Nigeria reduce extreme poverty in a more stable and democratic society.