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UN Agencies Urge Stronger Social Protection for Vulnerable Groups

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United Nations agencies and development partners are urging governments to strengthen social protection systems to reach vulnerable populations, close gaps in coverage and help households withstand economic crises and other shocks.

The call came during an interregional workshop held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where participants reviewed guidelines designed to help governments use poverty data to improve social protection policies and extend assistance to underserved communities.

Zuzana Schwidrowski, director of the Socio-Economic Development Division at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), said social protection should extend beyond meeting immediate needs to help people build sustainable livelihoods.

She called for stronger links between social assistance, employment, skills development and entrepreneurship, particularly for informal-sector workers and self-employed people who often lack access to social insurance.

Schwidrowski also urged governments to develop systems capable of responding to economic and other shocks, stressing the importance of evidence-based policies informed by countries’ experiences.

Amson Sibanda, a social policy official at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said multidimensional poverty data could help governments identify excluded populations, connect them with essential services and direct limited resources towards those facing multiple disadvantages.

Rajul Awasthi, a World Bank governance specialist, highlighted the importance of transparent public spending, clearly defined institutional responsibilities and accountability in the delivery of social protection programmes.

He also identified reliable social registries and accessible complaint mechanisms as important tools for ensuring that assistance reaches intended beneficiaries.

Marco Schaefer, head of the social protection section at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, said informal-sector workers remained particularly vulnerable because many were excluded from social insurance and targeted poverty assistance.

He called for cash assistance to be combined with employment support and preventive measures, alongside contingency funding that governments could deploy during emergencies.

The workshop was organised by the ECA, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, in collaboration with the African Union Commission. The Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative provided technical support.

Participants reviewed guidelines for applying the Multidimensional Poverty Index to adaptive social protection, an approach that uses measures of deprivation beyond income to help governments identify vulnerable groups and improve the design of assistance programmes.

Discussions also focused on strengthening coordination among government agencies, building national capacity and providing technical assistance to support implementation.

The initiative aims to help governments develop more inclusive social protection systems that can respond to changing needs and provide assistance before economic or other crises push vulnerable households further into poverty.

Lagos Sets December 31 Deadline for Mandatory Health Insurance

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The Lagos State Government has set December 31, 2026, as the deadline for residents to obtain health insurance before enforcement of mandatory coverage begins on January 1, 2027.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced the deadline on Tuesday at an event in Victoria Island, where he launched enforcement measures under Executive Order EO/BOS/01/2024 and introduced the Lagos Private Health Plans, an initiative aimed at expanding coverage for salaried workers and businesses.

The new plans will complement Ilera Eko, the state’s existing health insurance scheme, which primarily serves low-income residents and people working in the informal sector.

Sanwo-Olu said the policy was intended to expand access to health care and reduce the financial burden of medical treatment on households.

He said the framework placed obligations on residents, employers and the government, with health insurance required under the state’s policy.

The private plans are intended to provide additional coverage options for formal-sector employees and corporate organisations through participating health maintenance organisations.

The state government is seeking to expand insurance coverage and reduce out-of-pocket spending on medical care.

Residents and employers have until December 31 to secure coverage before enforcement begins in January, according to the announcement.

El-Rufai’s Medical Report Flags Drug-Resistant Bacteria

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A preliminary laboratory report has identified a drug-resistant bacterium in blood samples taken from former Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, while a separate medical assessment listed possible sepsis among his clinical concerns.

The findings are contained in medical documents dated Oct. 22 and reported by SaharaReporters. El-Rufai remains in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) amid ongoing legal proceedings.

A report issued by Cerba Lancet Nigeria said both aerobic and anaerobic blood cultures detected Enterococcus faecium after 24 to 48 hours of incubation. The laboratory classified the organism as vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), indicating resistance to the antibiotic vancomycin.

The document was marked as an interim report, with a final verified result still to follow.

The laboratory findings indicated that the bacterium was susceptible to several other antibiotics, including ampicillin, erythromycin, levofloxacin, minocycline and linezolid. Treatment decisions would depend on the final laboratory results and the patient’s clinical condition.

A separate report from ASK+ Medical & Diagnostics documented symptoms including headaches, dizziness and a history of low blood pressure. The clinical assessment listed dehydration, resistant malaria and possible sepsis, with a suspected source of infection near the navel.

The report recorded El-Rufai’s blood pressure at 93/70 millimetres of mercury, his temperature at 36.2 degrees Celsius and his oxygen saturation at 98%. It also stated that he showed no apparent signs of respiratory distress or significant pain during the examination.

The documents contained differing descriptions of his hydration status. While one section described him as mildly dehydrated, another recorded no dehydration.

The report also said several other investigations, including blood counts, kidney and liver function tests, blood glucose and urinalysis, were within normal limits.

Despite those findings, the medical assessment recommended hospital admission for observation, intravenous fluids and further treatment. It also advised consultation with an infectious disease specialist to determine appropriate antibiotic therapy based on the blood culture and sensitivity results.

The report recommended admission for at least three days, subject to clinical assessment.

The documents reviewed do not establish a definitive diagnosis of sepsis or independently determine the severity of the bacterial finding. The laboratory report also remained preliminary at the time of reporting.

El-Rufai’s medical findings come as he remains in ICPC custody amid ongoing legal proceedings. The documents do not establish a connection between his detention and the bacterial finding.

The ICPC has been contacted for comment.

Tinubu Seeks Approval for $20.52bn and €1.045bn Loans as Nigeria’s Public Debt Rises to ₦166.79tn

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President Bola Tinubu has asked the National Assembly to approve a supplementary external borrowing plan worth $20.52 billion and €1.045 billion to finance infrastructure and development projects across Nigeria.

The proposal, covering the 2026–2027 fiscal period, was presented to the Senate on Tuesday in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary.

According to the request, the proposed borrowing comprises $20,517,755,901 and €1,045,083,643. The funds are intended to address infrastructure deficits and close financing gaps across critical sectors of the economy.

Tinubu said the proposed financing would support projects in power, transportation, health care, education, agriculture, water supply and security, as well as employment generation and public financial management reforms.

In the letter, the president urged lawmakers to consider and approve the plan promptly to facilitate the implementation of the proposed projects.

He said the initiatives had undergone technical and economic assessments and were selected based on their expected contributions to socioeconomic development, job creation, skills acquisition, entrepreneurship, poverty reduction and food security.

The president argued that the scale of Nigeria’s infrastructure needs required additional financing to bridge existing funding shortfalls and support economic growth.

The Senate has not approved the latest request. Akpabio referred the proposal to the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts for examination, with the committees on Appropriations and Finance expected to participate in the review.

Akpabio said aspects of the borrowing plan had featured in previous government budgetary and borrowing arrangements, including an earlier external borrowing framework covering 2025–2027.

He said the relevant committees would examine the latest proposal to clarify its scope and relationship with previous approvals before the Senate takes further action.

The review is expected to establish the extent to which the proposed financing represents new borrowing commitments and how it relates to existing authorisations.

The distinction is important because approval of a borrowing framework does not necessarily mean that all the funds have been raised or disbursed.

The specific lending institutions, interest rates, repayment schedules and amounts allocated to individual projects were not detailed in the initial report of the request.

The proposed borrowing comes amid a further increase in Nigeria’s public debt.

Data published by the Debt Management Office show that the country’s total public debt stood at ₦166.79 trillion as of June 30, 2026, up from ₦159.35 trillion at the end of March.

The June figure was ₦14.39 trillion higher than the ₦152.40 trillion recorded a year earlier.

Domestic obligations accounted for ₦91.59 trillion, while external debt stood at ₦75.20 trillion. The figures cover the Federal Government, state governments and the Federal Capital Territory.

The increase highlights the importance of examining the terms, intended uses and repayment implications of additional borrowing.

External loans can provide governments with financing for major infrastructure projects and other development priorities. However, they also create repayment obligations that must be managed alongside existing debt and public spending commitments.

Nigeria’s debt position therefore makes the proposed borrowing’s financing terms, project selection and expected economic returns important considerations for lawmakers.

The latest request follows earlier efforts by the Tinubu administration to secure external financing for budgetary and development needs.

In July 2025, the Senate approved an external borrowing plan exceeding $21 billion, covering financing in multiple currencies and projects across several sectors. The broader plan included provisions for federal and state government projects.

In October 2025, the National Assembly also approved a separate request for approximately $2.35 billion in external financing to help fund the 2025 budget deficit and refinance maturing Eurobonds.

These earlier approvals provide context for Akpabio’s remarks that elements of the new proposal had featured in previous borrowing arrangements. However, the precise relationship between those approvals and the latest supplementary plan requires clarification from the government and the relevant legislative committees.

The existence of previous approvals should not, by itself, be interpreted as evidence that the full amount in the latest request has already been authorised or borrowed.

The government’s reliance on borrowing also raises questions about the resources available to service existing obligations while financing new projects.

The Debt Management Office publishes periodic reports on Nigeria’s external debt-service payments, including figures for the first half of 2026. These reports provide a basis for assessing the government’s repayment commitments alongside its outstanding debt.

However, a complete assessment of the latest borrowing proposal would require the actual debt-service figures to be examined alongside projected revenue, the cost of the proposed loans and their repayment schedules.

The government has presented infrastructure investment and economic development as the principal justifications for the new financing. The proposed projects’ implementation plans and expected returns will therefore be relevant to assessing their long-term fiscal implications.

For lawmakers, the central questions include the precise terms of the proposed loans, their relationship with previous borrowing approvals, the projects to be financed and the government’s capacity to meet the resulting obligations.

The Senate committee’s review will determine the next steps in the legislative process. Until the National Assembly grants the required approval, the proposed $20.52 billion and €1.045 billion in external borrowing remains a request rather than an approved loan package.

Tinubu Seeks Approval for $20.52bn and €1.045bn Loans as Nigeria’s Public Debt Rises to ₦166.79tn

by

President Bola Tinubu has asked the National Assembly to approve a supplementary external borrowing plan worth $20.52 billion and €1.045 billion to finance infrastructure and development projects across Nigeria.

The proposal, covering the 2026–2027 fiscal period, was presented to the Senate on Tuesday in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary.

According to the request, the proposed borrowing comprises $20,517,755,901 and €1,045,083,643. The funds are intended to address infrastructure deficits and close financing gaps across critical sectors of the economy.

Tinubu said the proposed financing would support projects in power, transportation, health care, education, agriculture, water supply and security, as well as employment generation and public financial management reforms.

In the letter, the president urged lawmakers to consider and approve the plan promptly to facilitate the implementation of the proposed projects.

He said the initiatives had undergone technical and economic assessments and were selected based on their expected contributions to socioeconomic development, job creation, skills acquisition, entrepreneurship, poverty reduction and food security.

The president argued that the scale of Nigeria’s infrastructure needs required additional financing to bridge existing funding shortfalls and support economic growth.

The Senate has not approved the latest request. Akpabio referred the proposal to the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts for examination, with the committees on Appropriations and Finance expected to participate in the review.

Akpabio said aspects of the borrowing plan had featured in previous government budgetary and borrowing arrangements, including an earlier external borrowing framework covering 2025–2027.

He said the relevant committees would examine the latest proposal to clarify its scope and relationship with previous approvals before the Senate takes further action.

The review is expected to establish the extent to which the proposed financing represents new borrowing commitments and how it relates to existing authorisations.

The distinction is important because approval of a borrowing framework does not necessarily mean that all the funds have been raised or disbursed.

The specific lending institutions, interest rates, repayment schedules and amounts allocated to individual projects were not detailed in the initial report of the request.

The proposed borrowing comes amid a further increase in Nigeria’s public debt.

Data published by the Debt Management Office show that the country’s total public debt stood at ₦166.79 trillion as of June 30, 2026, up from ₦159.35 trillion at the end of March.

The June figure was ₦14.39 trillion higher than the ₦152.40 trillion recorded a year earlier.

Domestic obligations accounted for ₦91.59 trillion, while external debt stood at ₦75.20 trillion. The figures cover the Federal Government, state governments and the Federal Capital Territory.

The increase highlights the importance of examining the terms, intended uses and repayment implications of additional borrowing.

External loans can provide governments with financing for major infrastructure projects and other development priorities. However, they also create repayment obligations that must be managed alongside existing debt and public spending commitments.

Nigeria’s debt position therefore makes the proposed borrowing’s financing terms, project selection and expected economic returns important considerations for lawmakers.

The latest request follows earlier efforts by the Tinubu administration to secure external financing for budgetary and development needs.

In July 2025, the Senate approved an external borrowing plan exceeding $21 billion, covering financing in multiple currencies and projects across several sectors. The broader plan included provisions for federal and state government projects.

In October 2025, the National Assembly also approved a separate request for approximately $2.35 billion in external financing to help fund the 2025 budget deficit and refinance maturing Eurobonds.

These earlier approvals provide context for Akpabio’s remarks that elements of the new proposal had featured in previous borrowing arrangements. However, the precise relationship between those approvals and the latest supplementary plan requires clarification from the government and the relevant legislative committees.

The existence of previous approvals should not, by itself, be interpreted as evidence that the full amount in the latest request has already been authorised or borrowed.

The government’s reliance on borrowing also raises questions about the resources available to service existing obligations while financing new projects.

The Debt Management Office publishes periodic reports on Nigeria’s external debt-service payments, including figures for the first half of 2026. These reports provide a basis for assessing the government’s repayment commitments alongside its outstanding debt.

However, a complete assessment of the latest borrowing proposal would require the actual debt-service figures to be examined alongside projected revenue, the cost of the proposed loans and their repayment schedules.

The government has presented infrastructure investment and economic development as the principal justifications for the new financing. The proposed projects’ implementation plans and expected returns will therefore be relevant to assessing their long-term fiscal implications.

For lawmakers, the central questions include the precise terms of the proposed loans, their relationship with previous borrowing approvals, the projects to be financed and the government’s capacity to meet the resulting obligations.

The Senate committee’s review will determine the next steps in the legislative process. Until the National Assembly grants the required approval, the proposed $20.52 billion and €1.045 billion in external borrowing remains a request rather than an approved loan package.