The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Nentawe Yilwatda, has announced that the federal government is now using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify poor Nigerians living in urban slums. This innovative approach is part of a larger effort to expand social support coverage across the nation.
Speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time on Friday, Yilwatda explained that AI technology has been crucial in significantly increasing the national social register from 13 million to an impressive 19.7 million individuals. He noted a key shift: while the register previously focused mainly on rural populations, it now includes Nigeria’s growing urban poor.
“To assist people, you need to identify them first. That’s why we began by validating and expanding the social register,” he said.
Following a directive from President Bola Tinubu, the government adopted a more inclusive strategy by integrating data on urban slum residents. They used satellite imagery to map these slum areas, and then telecom base station data helped pinpoint active phone numbers located within those mapped zones.
AI tools then went to work, filtering and verifying individuals based on criteria such as financial access, spending habits, and other social indicators.
Yilwatda further revealed that the federal government aims to reach 15 million households, an estimated 75 million people, through various poverty alleviation programs. “Nigeria has about 43 million households. By targeting 15 million, and using an average household size of five, we estimate reaching around 75 million individuals,” he explained.
