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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Sports

Cash transfers alone won't end poverty, ex-NAPEP boss urges FG to build income

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A former head of Nigeria's poverty eradication program warned that cash transfers alone are insufficient to lift people out of poverty.
  • He urged the Federal Government to prioritize building productive capacity and creating sustainable incomes for beneficiaries.
  • While commending the government's poverty reduction program, he stressed the need for communication improvements and a focus on enabling economic independence.

Professor Magnus Kpakol, former National Coordinator of the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), cautioned that cash transfers alone cannot effectively eradicate poverty in Nigeria. He stressed that poverty reduction programs should ultimately enable beneficiaries to transition from welfare dependency to economic independence.

At the end of the day, it’s not about cash transfers. It’s not about all of that. It’s not about money given to somebody. It’s about us being more able to produce the goods and services that the people of the world want.

— Professor Magnus KpakolExplaining his view on the limitations of cash transfers for poverty reduction.

"At the end of the day, it’s not about cash transfers. It’s not about all of that. It’s not about money given to somebody. It’s about us being more able to produce the goods and services that the people of the world want," Kpakol stated in an interview with ARISE NEWS.

Let me say right away that I commend the programme. I think it’s a good programme. The problem is with the communication. I’m not so sure that it’s being communicated well.

— Professor Magnus KpakolCommenting on the Federal Government's poverty reduction program.

Kpakol acknowledged the Federal Government's new poverty reduction program as a good initiative but highlighted the need for improved communication. He believes the program is moving in the right direction, particularly with its stated goal of helping beneficiaries eventually leave welfare systems. However, he emphasized that the true measure of success lies in whether recipients can generate sustainable incomes and eventually support others.

But if you look at the meat of the programme, I think that they have talked through it well. I think that they’re trying to go in the right direction.

— Professor Magnus KpakolAssessing the direction of the government's poverty reduction efforts.

He described cash transfers as a basic safety net, not a comprehensive strategy. Kpakol noted that a sum like ₦40,000 is insufficient on its own but serves as a starting point. Drawing from his experience at NAPEP, he advocated for interventions that provide a "ladder" for beneficiaries to climb from basic support to economic independence, emphasizing training in areas like financial literacy and capital development.

What we want to see is if they can create incomes. And if we want to see if down the road, those people that were in poverty are no longer in poverty. And they are also now in a position where they can take care of other people. So that’s what the test is.

— Professor Magnus KpakolDefining the ultimate goal and test for poverty reduction programs.
About this summary

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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