Many Nigerians at Risk as Innovations Fail to Reach Rural Areas

About 133 million Nigerians are facing serious poverty, with most living in rural areas. This raises worries that new development policies and innovations might not help these millions.

Experts shared these concerns at a press briefing for the 2026 Gender and Inclusion Summit (GS26) held by the Policy Innovation Centre (PIC) in Abuja.

The summit, set for September, is themed “From Agenda to Action: Making Innovations Count for the Last Mile.”

Speakers mentioned that Nigeria's issue is no longer just about making policies or new solutions, but about making sure these solutions actually reach the people who need them.

Osasuyi Dirisu, the Executive Director of PIC, spoke at the briefing. She pointed out that the 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index showed that 63 percent of Nigerians, or about 133 million people, are multidimensionally poor.

Dirisu explained that multidimensional poverty is not only about income but also includes lack of health, education, and basic living standards. Most of those affected live in rural and difficult-to-reach areas.

She added that this makes the “last mile” important in any discussion about development and inclusion.

The term, often used in logistics and telecommunications, refers to the final stage where a product or service reaches the end user. In development, it shows the gap between an innovation and the person who needs it most.

‘Innovations Can Become Elitist’

Dirisu said innovations can fail when they are created without understanding the real needs of vulnerable communities.

"Many times when we develop without really understanding the felt needs of those who are at the last mile, we develop products that are good, we develop services that are beautiful, but they are not really of relevance," she said.

She noted that the current focus on digital solutions may not help communities without good internet or smartphones.

Dirisu urged innovators to think of simpler solutions, like unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) and non-digital methods, where they are more suitable.

She stated that GS26 will focus on how policies, innovations, and commitments can turn into real improvements in people's lives.

Importance of Women and Children

Tayo Aduloju, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, continued this discussion. He said the last mile is where many of Nigeria's forgotten and unseen populations are concentrated.

Aduloju noted that 79 percent of the 133 million multidimensionally poor Nigerians live in rural areas. He called this a major geographical issue of exclusion.

He pointed out that women and children are especially important in this conversation because when mothers are left out, it often leads to poor outcomes for their children.

He explained that children who miss birth registration may also miss out on vaccination, nutrition, and education help. This cycle of exclusion connects to the large number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

Aduloju warned that these issues could worsen as Nigeria's population grows.

He mentioned that Africa's population under 35 could reach about 900 million by 2050, with around 320 million Nigerians in that age group.

He stressed that Nigeria needs solutions that can match the scale of its problems. "It’s not just solutions. It’s solutions at scale. Because our problem is already at scale,” he said.

Aduloju called on innovators, investors, philanthropists, businesses, and government institutions to bring big ideas to the summit.

Turning Ideas into Impact

Amina Dorayi, the Chairperson of the GS26 Technical Advisory Committee, said the summit aims to move beyond just talking about gender and inclusion to taking real action.

Dorayi, who is also the Regional Portfolio Director for Pathfinder International, West and Central Africa, said Nigeria has many ideas and innovators.

The challenge, she added, is to make sure evidence and technology become solutions that are easy to access, affordable, inclusive, and sustainable.

"The real test of any innovation is how it reaches that woman in rural Abarma, in Zamfara State, that young person who is often left behind in a place like Ipapo in Oyo State, the health worker working with limited resources in Udi in Enugu State," she said.

Dorayi noted that GS26 will bring together government, civil society, private sector, development partners, academia, young people, and communities to look at what has worked and what is stopping successful solutions from being widely used.

She added that the summit's Purple Book will help keep track of recommendations and turn them into policies and programs.

Government’s Efforts

The issues discussed at the briefing coincided with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs presenting its efforts to support women, children, families, and vulnerable groups.

Hadiza Gamawa, a Special Adviser to the Minister of Women Affairs, said the ministry has created 33 policies, standard operating procedures, implementation frameworks, national guidelines, and codes of conduct across four areas.

These areas include child development and protection, women and gender, family development, and social protection for vulnerable groups.

Gamawa said nine policies were developed for women and gender, while six new policies focus on families.

She mentioned that this work was partly inspired by discussions from the 2025 Gender and Inclusion Summit, especially a session on family.

Gamawa said the ministry has started reviewing the National Gender Policy, with a new policy expected to cover 2027 to 2032.

The ministry has also launched the Social Impact Intervention program, known as SII 774, to reach Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.

This program covers areas like energy access, agriculture, digital inclusion, health, financial inclusion, and family support.

Gamawa explained that these interventions aim to tackle the barriers that stop vulnerable Nigerians from getting opportunities and essential services.