General
Almost 385m Children Live In Extreme Poverty—Report
By Dipo Olowookere
A new analysis from the World Bank Group and the UNICEF has disclosed that children are more than twice as likely as adults to live in extreme poverty.
A focus on children finds that in 2013 19.5 per cent of children in developing countries were living in households that survived on an average of US$1.90 a day or less per person, compared to just 9.2 per cent of adults.
Globally, almost 385 million children were living in extreme poverty.
Children are disproportionately affected, as they make up around a third of the population studied, but half of the extreme poor. The youngest children are the most at risk – with more than one-fifth of children under the age of five in the developing world living in extremely poor households.
“Children are not only more likely to be living in extreme poverty; the effects of poverty are most damaging to children. They are the worst off of the worst off – and the youngest children are the worst off of all, because the deprivations they suffer affect the development of their bodies and their minds,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “It is shocking that half of all children in sub-Saharan Africa and one in five children in developing countries are growing up in extreme poverty. This not only limits their futures, it drags down their societies.”
The new analysis comes on the heels of the release of the World Bank Group’s new flagship study, Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2016: Taking on Inequality, which found that some 767 million people globally were living on less than $1.90 per day in 2013, half of them under the age of 18.
“The sheer number of children in extreme poverty points to a real need to invest specifically in the early years—in services such as pre-natal care for pregnant mothers, early childhood development programs, quality schooling, clean water, good sanitation, and universal health care,” said Ana Revenga, Senior Director, Poverty and Equity at the World Bank Group. “Improving these services, and ensuring that today’s children can access quality job opportunities when the time comes, is the only way to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty that is so widespread today.”
The global estimate of extreme child poverty is based on data from 89 countries, representing 83 per cent of the developing world’s population.
Sub-Saharan Africa has both the highest rates of children living in extreme poverty at just under 50 per cent, and the largest share of the world’s extremely poor children, at just over 50 per cent. South Asia has the second highest share at nearly 36 per cent—with over 30 per cent of extremely poor children living in India alone. More than four out of five children in extreme poverty live in rural areas.
In addition, the report reveals that even at higher thresholds, poverty also affects children disproportionately.
About 45 per cent of children are living in households subsisting on less than $3.10 a day per person, compared with nearly 27 per cent of adults.
UNICEF and the World Bank Group are calling on governments to:
Routinely measure child poverty at the national and subnational level and focus on children in national poverty reduction plans as part of efforts to end extreme poverty by 2030.
Strengthen child-sensitive social protection systems, including cash transfer programs that directly help poor families to pay for food, health care, education and other services that protect children from the impact of poverty and improve their chances of breaking the cycle in their own lives.
Prioritize investments in education, health, clean water, sanitation and infrastructure that benefit the poorest children, as well as those that help prevent people from falling back into poverty after setbacks like droughts, disease or economic instability.
Shape policy decisions so that economic growth benefits the poorest children.
UNICEF and the World Bank Group are working with partners to interrupt cycles of poverty and to promote early childhood development – with programs ranging from cash transfers, to nutrition, healthcare and education.
Ethiopia specific information:
– There are 13 million Ethiopian children who live in poor households, 2 million of whom live in extreme poverty.
– Children are more severely affected by poverty (32.4 per cent) and extreme poverty (5.2 per cent) than adults (29.6 per cent and 4.5 per cent, respectively).
– The poorest children are found in households whose head is employed in the informal sector. 13.1 per cent of these children live in extreme poverty.
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By Aduragbemi Omiyale
About $20 million has been put down by Swedfund to support efforts that limit climate change in Africa and help communities adapt to its effects.
The funds would be deployed by the Helios Climate, Energy, Adaptation and Resilience (CLEAR) Fund to back African companies that reduce emissions, strengthen resilience and create green jobs.
Swedfund’s investment is expected to contribute to significant cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and to help businesses and small farmers adapt to a changing climate.
The investment strengthens Swedfund’s work to drive a sustainable and inclusive green transition in Africa.
Africa contributes less than 3 per cent of global carbon emissions but faces some of the most severe climate impacts. At the same time, the continent’s energy demand is expected to triple by 2050.
Swedfund’s investment in Helios CLEAR will help channel capital to businesses that drive low-carbon growth in areas such as renewable energy, sustainable transport, climate-smart farming, efficient use of resources and digital climate solutions.
“By investing in this sector, we can reduce emissions, build resilience and create green jobs, all vital for sustainable growth that benefits more people.
“Africa currently receives only a small share of global climate investment, yet the potential for climate-smart business is enormous.
“Through Helios CLEAR we help build the next generation of African climate-focused businesses,” the Investment Director for Energy and Climate at Swedfund, Ms Gunilla Nilsson, stated.
Helios CLEAR Fund is a Pan African growth equity fund managed by Helios Investment Partners, one of Africa’s leading private equity firms.
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By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Abdussamad Dasuki, has alleged that the gazetted tax laws are different from the ones passed by the National Assembly.
Speaking on Wednesday during plenary at the green chamber, the opposition lawmaker the emphasised that content of the tax laws as gazetted was not what members of the parliament debated, voted on and passed.
In June 2025, President Bola Tinubu signed the four tax reform bills into law, becoming an act. The new laws are the Nigeria Tax Act (NTA), 2025, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA), 2025, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act (NRSEA), 2025, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act (JRBEA), 2025.
In September, they were gazetted by the federal government.
On the floor of the House yesterday, presided over by the Speaker, Mr Tajudeed Abbas, Mr Dasuki, while raising a matter of privilege, after reviewing the gazetted law and what was passed, he found out some discrepancies, appealing to the Speaker to ensure that all relevant documents, including the harmonised versions, the votes and proceedings of both chambers, and the gazetted copies currently in circulation, are brought before the Committee of the Whole for scrutiny by all members.
He warned that allowing laws different from those duly passed by the National Assembly to be presented to Nigerians would undermine the integrity of the legislature and violate constitutional provisions.
“Mr. Speaker, I will be pleading that all the documents should be brought before the Committee of the Whole.
“The whole members should see what is in the gazetted copy and see what they passed on the floor so that we can make the relevant amendment. Mr Speaker, this is the breach of the Constitution.
“This is the breach of our laws, and this should not be taken by this House,” Mr Dasuki said when rising under Order Six, Rule Two of the House Rules on a Point of Privilege.
In his remarks, Mr Abbas promised that the parliament would look into the matter.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Over 90 illegal mining sites have been reclaimed and 300 offenders prosecuted since the deployment of the Mining Marshals, a specialised task force established to secure Nigeria’s mineral assets.
This information was disclosed by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Dele Alake, at the South West Leaders Conference held recently in Akure, the Ondo state capital.
He described the crackdown as a turning point in the battle against mineral theft and insecurity in mining communities.
“We created the Mining Marshals to tackle insecurity and illegal mining head-on. I’m proud to say that peace is returning to our mining fields,” he said.
According to Mr Alake, the initiative has strengthened investor confidence and improved government revenue.
“When you protect the minerals, you protect national wealth. That’s exactly what we’ve done with the Mining Marshals,” he stated.
He noted that beyond arrests and reclamations, the Marshals have restored safety in key mining corridors and curbed the activities of illegal foreign operators. “We are taking back control of our natural resources from criminal networks,” Mr Alake emphasised.
The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to maintaining the momentum through digital surveillance, stronger local intelligence, and inter-agency coordination.
“Our success proves that security is the bedrock of sustainable mining. We will keep refining this model until every site in Nigeria is safe, legal, and productive,” he added.
Launched last year, the marshals were given the mandate to stem theft and all nefarious activities around the nation’s minerals so that benefits are not extracted by the wrong people.
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