Pakistan’s National Poverty Graduation Programme (NPGP) has successfully elevated 370,567 vulnerable households out of poverty, Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Syed Imran Ahmad Shah announced Thursday, designating it as one of the country’s most impactful poverty-reduction efforts to date.

Speaking at a high-level seminar, the minister said the initiative demonstrates how well-designed, evidence-based public interventions can bring about long-term, sustainable change. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to expanding the NPGP model through a new Islamic Development Bank-supported venture, ‘Poverty Graduation for Extremely Poor and Flood-Affected Households.’

Implemented from 2017 to 2025 in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the US$132.6 million project targeted 21 of the nation’s most impoverished districts. It provided a blend of productive assets, skills training, and interest-free loans to households primarily registered with the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).

The scheme delivered assets and training to 165,807 families while disbursing 304,324 interest-free loans to 204,760 households.

Independent evaluations of the programme revealed strong results, with 80% of supported households lifted out of extreme poverty and 56% of beneficiaries graduating from BISP eligibility criteria. Furthermore, the initiative spurred the creation of 179,159 jobs and was linked to a 48% increase in women’s empowerment indicators.

Navid Ahmed Shaikh, Secretary of the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, noted that NPGP’s success proves that community-driven, women-focused models that link skills, financial access, and market connections can lead to sustainable economic independence.

Ms. Fernanda Thomaz Da Rocha, IFAD Country Director, called the programme a major milestone and reaffirmed her organization’s continued partnership. She praised the effort for effectively integrating social protection with sustainable livelihoods to deliver measurable poverty reduction at scale.

Officials confirmed the government aims to replicate NPGP’s success nationwide to support millions of vulnerable families in the coming years.