Poverty Alleviation Programmes in Ondo and Osun States of Nigeria: New Skills and Knowledge Acquired as a Result of Participation

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of new skills and knowledge acquired by the beneficiaries as a result of their participation in the poverty alleviation programmes of the National Fadama Development Project III and the Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) Programmes. Study Design: This study adopted a descriptive research design. Place of Study: A total of 150 beneficiaries comprising 70 FADAMA III and 80 JDPC beneficiaries selected purposively from Ondo and Osun were picked for the study. Methodology: A self-designed questionnaire was used for data collection. This was “Questionnaire for the beneficiaries of Fadama III and JDPC programmes (QBFJ)”. The QBFJ was designed to gather information on the skills and knowledge acquired by the beneficiaries. Data were analyzed using percentage and chi-square statistics. Results: The study indicated that seven new skills were acquired by the beneficiaries. The beneficiaries also acquired knowledge on ten different types of management programmes. The result further revealed that skills acquired by the beneficiaries of poverty alleviation programmes were significantly influenced by their gender (x2 = 39.93, p <0.05), Bees keeping was the major skill acquired with 60% of the beneficiaries while 66.7% acquired knowledge on tree crops management. Conclusion: This study has established that good implementation of poverty alleviation programmes will improve the standard of living of the beneficiaries. Poverty incidence can thus become reduced with increased investment in people, improving their quality and enhancing their employment prospects. It is recommended that priorities for reform should include emphasizing investment in basic education, working to improve social equity in educational provision and encouraging vocational education and training.