A World Bank report has found that only 44% of social benefits in Nigeria reach the poorest households, even though 56% of programme beneficiaries are classified as poor. Many initiatives provide flat transfers per household, which dilute the support for larger poor families.

Nigeria spends just 0.14% of its GDP on social protection, far below the global average, and the report notes that current safety-net programmes have reduced poverty by only 0.4 percentage points.

Experts call for better targeting, household-size-adjusted benefits, and stronger monitoring to ensure social funds reach those who need them most. Visit www.jocomms.com for more news.