SOCIAL PROTECTION AND EMPOWERMENT: A CASE OF MDG-CCT SCHEME IN GOMBE STATE

Abstract

The quest to reduce extreme poverty among the non- active groups of the poor-disabled, aged, widows etc. - triggered the Nigerian government, within the MDGs’ framework, to adopt Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) as a new strategy for addressing inter-generational poverty, promoting social protection and empowerment of the poor. This paper assesses the impact of CCT as social protection scheme in poverty alleviation and economic empowerment among its targeted populations in Gombe State. Data were generated from both primary and secondary sources through administering of interview, FGD, observation, and extraction of relevant information from documentary sources. Qualitative methods of data analysis were used to analyze the data generated. The populations of the study were the MDG-CCT staff and the beneficiaries’ population and incremental theory of public policy was adopted as theoretical framework. The study revealed that the CCT has succeeded in poverty alleviation, promotion of social protection and empowerment of the beneficiaries. The research concludes that social transfers can significantly contribute to poverty alleviation and economic empowerment among the poor. The paper recommended that social protection is the panacea to Nigeria’s highest level of poverty and CCT should therefore be uphold to cover not only non- active groups of the poor but the active population of the poor especially in Northern Nigeria.