KEY POINTS

• Benefit Register includes 15 million households.
• National Social Register covers 17.9 million households.
• Benefit Register targets shock-response cash transfers.

The Federal Government says it has captured about 15 million vulnerable households in a Benefit Register for conditional cash transfers that it is implementing in partnership with the World Bank to cushion the impact of economic shocks.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, disclosed this in an interview on Friday, clarifying that the government did not design the cash support programme to cover all individuals listed in the broader National Social Register.

He said the Benefit Register represents a subset of households identified as most vulnerable under the current intervention framework.

National Social Register covers 17.9 million households

According to Doro, the National Social Register contains about 17.9 million vulnerable households, translating to roughly 70 million individuals nationwide.

The register was built through community-based identification and socio-economic assessments aimed at capturing the poorest segments of the population. He said communities play a central role in nominating beneficiaries, while officials validate data through home visits and other checks.

“Communities use the agreed criteria to identify poor households among them,” Doro said, adding that officials are assessing more households and expanding the register.

Benefit Register funds conditional cash transfers

Doro stressed that inclusion in the National Social Register does not automatically qualify households for direct financial assistance. Instead, officials select beneficiaries through a separate Benefit Register tailored to specific programmes.

“We are currently offering conditional cash assistance in conjunction with the World Bank, but we designed this money as a shock response,” he said.“Not everyone within the 17.9 million households in the register is in the Benefit Register.”

The minister described the conditional cash transfers as temporary relief for households facing hardship rather than a universal entitlement. The government, he added, plans to continue expanding the National Social Register while refining targeting mechanisms to ensure that interventions reach those most affected by economic disruptions.