Social Protection Programmes and Poverty Reduction in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria (2017 - 2026)

Abstract

Poverty remains one of the global major challenges that threatens human survival by negatively affecting the health, education and living standards of the people. The severe nature of poverty in Akwa Ibom State reveals that about 71% of the population lived in multi-dimensional poverty (NBS, 2022). To eradicate extreme poverty, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals was introduced and adopted by many countries including developing country like Nigeria. At the state level, social protection and security policies in Akwa Ibom State are designed to improve the socio-economic conditions of poor and vulnerable groups affected by unemployment, inequality, old age, disability, natural disasters, and unequal access to resources. This study examined the impact of social protection programmes on poverty reduction in Akwa Ibom State. The paper identified inadequate funding, corruption and policy inconsistency as major challenges undermining the efficacy of the programmes. The study was anchored on the New Public Management and Human Capital Development (HCD) theories and adopted a survey research design. A sample of 384 respondents was selected from the projected population of 4,979,400 (NPC, 2022) using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Data were collected through a 12-item structured questionnaire and analysed using simple percentages and tables. The findings revealed that social protection programmes have a significant relationship with unemployment reduction in Akwa Ibom State. The programmes improved access to education by promoting social empowerments resulting in better employment opportunities, higher incomes and enhanced living standards among beneficiaries. The study posit people-centered social protection programmes that effectively targeted at the poor/vulnerable rather than serving elites interests. It recommended adequate funding in line with the International Labour Organization’s social protection benchmark of 19 – 27% for human capital development, strengthened monitoring and evaluation to reduce misappropriation, and sustained investments in education, agriculture, and entrepreneurship to create more employment opportunities to curb unemployment and youth restiveness.