UNDP: Lifting 100m Nigerians out of poverty by 2025 still possible

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says the plan to lift 100 million Nigerians out of multidimensional poverty by 2025 is still achievable.

This was stated in the UN Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) released on Monday to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty which is celebrated annually on October 17.

The MPI was jointly analysed by the UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford.

The report shows that despite the recession in the country, poverty can be reduced, while new methods of measuring the problems will enable the government to identify the appropriate support.

The report measured poverty through its indicators; starting from access to education and health, to living standards such as housing, drinking water, sanitation and electricity.

It said more than half of people living in poverty lack both electricity and clean cooking fuel, while a third don’t have access to nutrition, cooking fuel, sanitation and housing at the same time.

It stated that 1.2 billion people in 111 developing countries were living in acute multidimensional poverty even before the COVID-19 pandemic and the current high cost of living.

Commenting on the report, Achim Steiner, head of UNDP, said analytics and cutting-edge data can help to identify areas where spending will be most impactful.

Steiner said the report revealed that “decarbonisation and expanding access to clean energies will advance climate action, and is also critical for nearly 600 million multidimensionally poor people who still lack access to electricity and clean cooking fuel”.

He further said the report will be “vital to inform UNDP’s efforts across the globe as we work with our partners from the United Nations and beyond to reach our bold objective of helping lift 100 million people out of multidimensional poverty by the year 2025”.

The UNDP head said about 72 countries across the world had significantly reduced poverty rates before the pandemic but the recent concurring crisis had thwarted the efforts.