IPA: 63% of Nigerians Facing Multidimensional Poverty Induced by Poor Implementation of Policies

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

About 63 per cent Nigerians are facing multidimensional poverty, worsened by poor implementation of policies and data driven intervention, the Innovation for Poverty Action, (IPA) has said.

Country Director, IPA Nigeria, Funmi Ayeni, stated this at a Nigeria Evidence Summit organised by the IPA tagged: “Translating Emerging Evidence for impact,” held in Abuja yesterday.

According to her, the 2022 multidimensional poverty index shows that 63 per cent of persons in Nigeria are multi-dimensionally and isn’t just monetary poverty, but poverty of education and access to basic infrastructure.

“Hence the purpose of the Nigeria evidence summit is to provide a platform where people can come together to have conversations around the thematic areas of social protection, financial inclusion and education.

“What we are trying to do is to make sure that we have conversations that people can carry forward and will lead to lasting change and impact in Nigeria with regards to tackling the poverty challenge.

“Some of the leading voices in each of the thematic areas speak about the work that they have done and more importantly how to apply the evidence to actual decision making and policy making in Nigeria,” Ayeni stated.

Commenting on the current hunger protest in the country,  Ayeni said IPA was working with relevant government agencies to provide data driven solutions to the challenge.

Chief Global Officer, IPA, Claudia Casarrotto, on her part, said leveraging on global research and policies adaptability is essential to liberating nations from poverty.

He said IPA shares knowledge to various contexts, noting that: “One of the big part of our work is to share knowledge and share evidence effectively with decision makers across the globe.”

She added: “Here in Nigeria, we can learn from what other countries and other context had done to reduce and contribute to solving global poverty problems.

“An interesting part of our work is to bring together decision makers, practitioners and evidence lovers from various countries to learnt together, share experiences and share knowledge.”

Director General, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, (NAPTIP), Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, while pointing to benefits of partnering with IPA, said her agency was deeply interested in the establishment of evidence embedded labs by IPA.

She said it is a pioneering initiative that holds immense promise in enhancing  data infrastructure and analytical capabilities.

Waziri-Azi who was represented by the Director Research and Programme Development, NAPTIP, added: “The collaborative partnership between NAPTIP and IPA underscores our shared commitment to leveraging evidence to drive meaningful change and foster sustainable development.”