The federal government has launched Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) Survey to measure the level of penury among Nigerians.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq inaugurated the MPI on Tuesday.
A statement by her media aide Nneka Anibeze, said the MPI survey was inaugurated virtually.
The statement read in part; ”With the MPI, Nigeria has joined many countries that have moved towards improving the efficiency of their decision-making processes through the evidence generated by MPI.
Farouq said that by inaugurating the survey, the federal government joined other “strong voices” to highlight the importance of multi-stakeholder engagements on poverty eradication, zero hunger, quality education, climate action, and inclusion.
The minister also said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration had successfully lifted more than 10 million people out of extreme poverty through several initiatives, including the National Social Investment Programme.
“This aspiration takes into cognizance the country’s current estimated population of about 200 million people, as well as the need for better evidence for programming.
“The ministry, therefore, stands ready to collaborate with different government agencies, donor organisations, and private investors to shape policies and drive real impact in the use of MPI data,” she explained.
Farouq further stated that the ministry would collaborate closely with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to conduct regular multidimensional poverty measurements alongside monetary measures at both national and sub-national levels.