In Nigeria’s ongoing battle against poverty and efforts to foster economic stability, the Federal Government, in collaboration with the World Bank, launched a conditional cash transfer program back in 2016. This initiative aimed to provide financial support to vulnerable segments of the population, with the hope of uplifting them from the grips of poverty.

However, recent research conducted by the Bretton Woods Institute has shed light on the program’s limited impact on household consumption, financial inclusion, and employment, especially among women.

Despite the earnest efforts to uplift vulnerable populations, the study revealed that the cash transfer program fell short of significantly improving household consumption or boosting women’s employment opportunities. 

 “However, in contrast to these strong positive impacts, we do not find any statistically significant effects on overall household consumption or on caregivers’ employment and financial inclusion, the World Bank stated.

“Nonetheless, the limited impacts on household consumption and women’s employment suggest that there is remaining scope for a complementary livelihood support intervention to generate sustainable improvements in households’ self-sufficiency.”

This revelation has prompted the World Bank to advocate for supplementary livelihood support interventions to fortify sustainable progress in enhancing households’ self-sufficiency.

The Bretton Woods Institute’s findings underscore the pressing need for additional measures to foster meaningful change in household welfare and economic empowerment, particularly among the most marginalized communities. 

While the cash transfer program has yielded positive outcomes such as increased household savings, improved food security, and greater decision-making autonomy for beneficiaries, its efficacy in driving substantial socioeconomic transformation remains in question.

The Federal Government’s National Social Safety Nets Project (NASSP), which oversees the cash transfer program, initially aimed to provide financial assistance to one million Nigerians as part of a broader N500 billion social intervention package.

The Federal Government secured an $800 million World Bank facility in 2023 to expand the cash transfer program, particularly targeting the most vulnerable segments of society in the aftermath of the removal of petrol subsidies. 

However, the program has faced challenges, including issues of credibility and corruption allegations, prompting public scrutiny and demands for reform.

The Humanitarian Ministry, responsible for disbursing the funds, is plagued by allegations of corruption and malfeasance. The latest minister, Betta Edu, was suspended by President Bola Tinubu for allegedly diverting funds designated for the social intervention program into private accounts.

Despite these shortcomings, the World Bank’s research uncovered several positive outcomes. These include an uptick in household savings and food security, as well as enhanced access to farmlands and livestock, among other benefits.

The report also highlighted that beneficiary households were more inclined to shift away from solely using their income for household consumption and instead engage in longer-term saving practices. Moreover, beneficiaries reported experiencing improved autonomy in decision-making and greater freedom of movement.

“We also find improvements in caregivers’ self-reported happiness, decision-making autonomy over how to spend their own income, and freedom of movement.

“Households are substantially more likely to save the longer they have been receiving cash transfers and to switch away from exclusively using the cash for household consumption,” the World Bank said.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has embarked on a significant initiative to bolster regional security, with member states collectively pledging $2.4 billion to establish a standby counter-terrorism force. 

Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, Commissioner of Political Affairs, Peace, and Security of ECOWAS, revealed this decision during the opening of a three-day consultative meeting of commandants from designated ECOWAS Training Centres of Excellence.

The envisioned counter-terrorism force will serve as a rapid reaction unit, equipped to confront the escalating threat posed by terrorist groups proliferating across the sub-region. Ambassador Musah emphasized the urgent need for such a force, highlighting its pivotal role in addressing terrorist strongholds effectively.

“This is the decision, and in the coming weeks, ECOWAS has already with the Chief of Defence Staffs, developed operational modalities, the concept of operations, and everything for us to aggregate.

“It will be something like an advanced rapid reaction force of a battalion that will be able to confront terrorists’ bases.

“The Heads of States have decided that on the first year, we must raise about 2.4 billion dollars to support the operation of this force in order to face the terrorists,” Musah stated.

The establishment of the counter-terrorism force marks a significant milestone in ECOWAS’s efforts to enhance regional security and combat terrorism. The force will draw on the expertise of three designated Training Centres of Excellence located in Nigeria, Ghana, and Mali, reflecting ECOWAS’s commitment to capacity-building and collaboration among member states.

Out of the agreed $2.5 billion budget for the counter-terrorism standby force, ECOWAS member states have directed the immediate contribution of $1 billion to kickstart its operations. Additionally, ministers of defense and finance from the sub-region will convene to devise funding modalities and ensure sustained support for the force.

The decision by ECOWAS member states to commit $2.4 billion to establish a standby counter-terrorism force comes as a response to escalating security threats and recent geopolitical developments in the Sahel region. In particular, the withdrawal of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso from ECOWAS in January, coupled with their severance of ties with France and the United States, underscores the urgent need for a concerted regional approach to combatting terrorism and addressing security challenges.

Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso cited persistent terrorism in the Sahel region, and the inability of ECOWAS to contain the challenge, as part of their reasons for quitting the bloc. ECOWAS has appealed to the breakaway countries to return.

Against this backdrop, the establishment of the counter-terrorism force is seen as ECOWAS’s proactive approach to addressing regional challenges and a potential way of luring the military-led countries back into the bloc.

The Sahel region, characterized by porous borders and vast ungoverned spaces, has become a hotspot for terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda affiliates and Islamic State militants. Despite efforts by international partners, including France and the United States, to contain the spread of terrorism in the region, the security situation has continued to deteriorate, prompting a reassessment of strategies and priorities.

The decision by Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso to withdraw from ECOWAS and sever ties with France and the United States reflects a growing disillusionment with the effectiveness of external interventions in addressing security challenges in the Sahel.