Fidelity Bank, Humanitarian Affairs Ministry Support Vulnerable Households in Abuja
Fidelity Bank Plc has partnered with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction to provide food assistance to vulnerable households in Abuja as part of efforts to tackle hunger, malnutrition and multidimensional poverty in the country.
Under the partnership, the bank distributed 2,000 food packs to vulnerable residents of the Federal Capital Territory through its Food Bank programme, a corporate social responsibility initiative aimed at supporting communities facing food insecurity.
The intervention was announced at an event organised in Abuja to commemorate the 2026 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, where the bank and the ministry reiterated the need for stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors to address the growing challenges of poverty and economic exclusion.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, represented by the bank’s Divisional Head of Public Sector, Richard Madiebo, said the bank’s commitment to poverty alleviation went beyond the distribution of food items to include entrepreneurship support and other empowerment initiatives.
She explained that the bank’s interventions were designed to provide immediate relief to vulnerable households while also creating opportunities for individuals and families to achieve long-term economic independence.
According to her, Fidelity Bank recognises the importance of private sector participation in addressing poverty and promoting inclusive economic development, stressing that its corporate social responsibility programmes are structured around the needs of communities.
“Fidelity Bank has always aligned its CSR programmes with the needs of its host communities. We understand the importance of private sector participation in addressing poverty and promoting inclusive development.
“We have delivered 2,000 food packs to residents of Abuja. There are several other initiatives that the ministry and the bank are discussing, and we will allow the ministry to provide further details at the appropriate time,” she said.
Onyeali-Ikpe noted that the bank’s commitment to community development had spanned approximately three decades, reflecting its longstanding investment in initiatives aimed at improving the welfare and living conditions of people in its host communities.
She added that the Food Bank programme remained one of the institution’s flagship CSR interventions, providing assistance to households affected by food insecurity across the country.
Launched in April 2023, the Fidelity Food Bank was established to support efforts to combat hunger and malnutrition, particularly among vulnerable populations.
Since its introduction, the initiative has distributed more than 300,000 food packs to beneficiaries across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, underscoring the bank’s efforts to extend its humanitarian interventions beyond its immediate business operations.
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard M. Doro, commended Fidelity Bank for supporting the Federal Government’s efforts to improve the welfare of vulnerable Nigerians.
Doro said the intervention demonstrated the importance of private sector participation in addressing poverty, noting that government alone could not effectively tackle the complex economic and social challenges confronting millions of Nigerians.
He disclosed that approximately 63 per cent of Nigeria’s population lived in multidimensional poverty, a situation he said had significant implications not only for affected households but also for businesses and the wider economy.
According to the minister, the exclusion of a substantial proportion of the population from meaningful economic participation limits their ability to contribute productively to national development while also restricting businesses’ access to potential customers and employees.
“When 63 per cent of the population lives in multidimensional poverty, a substantial number of people are excluded from economic participation. This also means that businesses are unable to reach a large segment of their potential customers.
“Our responsibility as a ministry is to unlock partnerships with the private sector. Such collaboration is critical to expanding economic opportunities and bringing more people into productive economic activities. We are pleased that Fidelity Bank is fully committed to this effort,” Doro stated.
The minister emphasised that tackling poverty required a coordinated approach involving government institutions, financial organisations, businesses and other stakeholders.
He urged stakeholders to move beyond public declarations and ensure that poverty reduction programmes translated into measurable and sustainable improvements in the living conditions of vulnerable households.
Doro maintained that partnerships capable of expanding access to economic opportunities, strengthening household resilience and promoting productive activities were essential to achieving meaningful poverty reduction.
The collaboration between Fidelity Bank and the ministry is expected to contribute to ongoing efforts to address immediate humanitarian needs while exploring broader interventions capable of improving the economic circumstances of disadvantaged Nigerians.
Fidelity Bank Plc is a full-fledged commercial deposit money bank with more than 9.1 million customers, providing financial services through digital banking channels and its 255 business offices across Nigeria, as well as its United Kingdom subsidiary, FidBank UK Limited.
The financial institution has received several local and international recognitions for its contributions to digital banking, small and medium-sized enterprise financing and investment services.
Among its recent accolades are the 2024 Excellence in Digital Transformation and MSME Banking Award at the BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards and the 2024 Most Innovative Mobile Banking Application award for its Fidelity Mobile App by Global Business Outlook.
The bank was also recognised as the Best Bank for SMEs in Nigeria by the Euromoney Awards for Excellence and named Export Financing Bank of the Year at the BusinessDay BAFI Awards.
Its recognition in these areas, alongside its humanitarian and community development interventions, forms part of its broader efforts to support financial inclusion, enterprise development and economic growth in Nigeria.
