Assessing the Activities of Self-help Groups in Social Protection in Southeast Nigeria

Abstract

Aim: This paper assessed the activities of self-help groups (SHGs) in social protection. Study Design: Members of registered and non-registered SHGs were randomly selected and interviewed based on the activities of the groups in the study area. Place: Southeast Nigeria at Latitude 5⁰N and 7⁰30' and Longitude 5⁰E and 10⁰E. Methodology: The study was conducted in the South-eastern states of Nigeria. Three states were eventually chosen for the study namely Abia, Anambra and Imo. A total of 108 registered SHGs were randomly selected and 540 members were interviewed; a total of 108 non-registered SHGs were also selected with; 540 members of the groups were interviewed. Descriptive statistics were used in the analysis of data. Results: The results show that the identified SHGs were mainly made up of people operating in the informal sector and were predominantly engaged in agricultural activities. Majority of the respondents represented by 82% stated that the services obtained from the SHGs were inadequate while 18% stated that they were adequate for their purposes. This adequacy can be described as restricted adequacy as the services extended to the beneficiaries were tailored to the slim resources of the SHGs. All the social protection services provided by the SHGs were mainly based on social insurance services complemented by social assistance. The services were sufficiently deficient in labour market interventions. There was no form of interaction among the SHGs as they operated as stand alone. This lack of interaction tends to limit the possibility of the largely informal groups to be connected to a more sustainable formal social protection services. Conclusion: The activities of the SHGs are inadequate for social protection services and to that extent cannot on their own engender inclusive growth. It is recommended that state-sponsored social protection services should be institutionalized, less ad hoc in delivery and should not be elevated to the level of handouts from the power holders to the core poor.