The Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction Minister Nentawe Yilwatda has said that the Federal Government is deploying artificial intelligent (AI) to identify poor Nigerians.
Yilwatda, who revealed this during an appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme, mapped out the government’s strategy to find poor individuals living in urban slums.
According to him, President Bola Tinubu has given a directive that poor nigerians in urban areas be added to the national social register.
He noted that the register which initially contained only poor Nigerians in rural areas is being expanded to accommodate urban areas individual, with 15 million households and 75 million people targeted.
“The president ordered that we include the urban poor as well,” the Minister said. “We used satellite imagery to locate urban slums, then base stations and telecoms data to identify phone numbers in those locations.
“AI helped us generate a list of urban poor individuals by verifying those numbers, their access to financial services, and other indicators.
“So now, the updated social register covers both rural and urban communities, making it more inclusive and reliable.”
Yilwatda also noted that around 42 per cent of Nigerians (80 million) are facing food poverty.
He said the government is targeting 15 million out of 20 million households facing food poverty through conditional cash transfers initiative.
“I know N75,000 might seem insignificant to someone living in the city. But in rural areas, it makes a difference.
“We conducted a joint research project with the World Bank and some civil society organisations. It showed that up to 18% of recipients were able to start nano or small-scale businesses with that money.
“About 82% used the funds to improve food security. And 52% were able to pay school fees for their children.
“So, while this is not their sole source of income, it is a meaningful supplement that helps cushion the impact of poverty.”
