FG, UNHCR, Private Sector to Partner on $10bn Plan to Resettle Displaced Nigerians
By Patience Ikpeme
The Federal Government has agreed to work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), private investors, and development partners on a new plan to help millions of Nigerians who have been forced out of their homes get back on their feet economically.
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, disclosed this during a meeting with the UNHCR Representative in Nigeria, Mr Arjun Jain, where both sides discussed a new programme called LEAP — the Leadership Alliance for Enterprise, Acceleration and Prosperity.
Explaining why the government is interested in the plan, Bagudu said displacement does more than just chase people out of their homes — it also destroys the way they make a living.
“Displacement, by its very nature, involves disruption. When people are forced to leave their communities, whether because of natural disasters or insecurity, their economic activities are automatically interrupted,” he said.
According to him, people who flee their communities because of insecurity or disasters often leave behind their farms, fishing grounds, and livestock, which makes it hard for them to survive even after they return or resettle. He said simply moving displaced people back home is not enough — government must also help them find new ways to earn a living.
The minister connected the plan to Nigeria’s bigger economic ambitions, saying the country cannot grow into a $1 trillion economy while leaving displaced communities behind. “Our objective is therefore clear: the $1 trillion economy we aspire to build must be inclusive and create opportunities across communities,” he said.
Bagudu shared a personal experience from his time as Governor of Kebbi State, when a border dispute settlement with the Republic of Benin led to some communities being relocated. He said a woman from one of those communities once told him that the men in her family were now farming much smaller pieces of land on the Nigerian side, leaving them with far less work and income than before. He said the story taught him that resettlement is not only about giving people a new place to stay, but also about the size and quality of the economic opportunities available to them there.
To plan better, Bagudu said the government wants to study conditions in all of Nigeria’s 8,809 wards, so it can identify which communities are dealing with displacement, which ones are hosting displaced people, and what specific problems each area faces, whether it is lack of infrastructure or lack of economic activity.
He said private investors are often afraid to put money into communities affected by insecurity or poor infrastructure, but government can step in to reduce that risk. “If a private-sector player wants to invest in a community facing security or infrastructure challenges, it is legitimate for the government to use public resources to help de-risk that investment,” Bagudu said.
He mentioned that tools such as the National Credit Guarantee Agency and insurance schemes could be used to make investors feel safer putting their money into these areas, alongside government support for security and roads.
Bagudu also called for the programme to grow beyond the 10 states currently being considered, saying no part of Nigeria is free from displacement or the kind of local tensions that scare away investment. “Displacement and vulnerability are not confined to one part of Nigeria,” he said, adding that every state governor should be encouraged to attract private investment into troubled communities in their own states.
He suggested that government and its partners should first pick three to five practical projects to prove that the idea can work before expanding it further, and named agriculture, including oil palm and sugar production, as areas with strong potential.
Speaking on the size of the plan, the UNHCR Representative, Mr Arjun Jain, said the programme is designed to raise $10 billion in investment over five years, spread across 10 states struggling with displacement and instability.
Jain said UNHCR wants to move away from simply giving out relief materials and instead help displaced people build businesses and support themselves. He said conversations with displaced communities over the years show that what people want most is the chance to work and rebuild their lives.
He disclosed that Nigeria currently has more than 3.7 million people displaced within its own borders, in addition to over 140,000 refugees and asylum-seekers from other countries, a number he said makes the need for long-term solutions urgent.
As an example of what is already working, Jain pointed to a partnership UNHCR signed with Tropical General Investments (TGI) in June 2026, covering Benue and Cross River States. He said the three-year deal is expected to support more than 5,000 farmers and create over 10,000 jobs for refugees, displaced people, and the communities hosting them.
Jain said UNHCR is also talking to development banks and commercial banks to make it easier for farmers and displaced people to access affordable loans, while building community early-warning systems that give investors accurate, up-to-date information about security conditions on the ground, rather than relying on general assumptions that an entire region is unsafe.
He said the agency has already begun talks with major financial institutions, including British International Investment and the International Finance Corporation, to bring the LEAP plan to life, noting that no single investor should be left to carry the risk alone. “The only way we can succeed is to bring everyone around the table,” Jain said.
