Nigerian Journal of Banking and Financial Issues (NJBFI)

POVERTY REDUCTION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Nigeria has the potential to devise policies that can effectively reduce poverty and drive social development. However, the successful implementation of these policies often poses a significant challenge. This implementation gap undermines the achievement of social development goals, particularly those related to poverty reduction. This study investigates the effect of poverty reduction on sustainable development goals with reference to Ekiti State. The study population comprised of 3,592,100. Multistage sampling technique was used to select 400 respondents using Taro Yamane (1967) formula to determine the sample size for the study from the age of 20-69 years. Questionnaire was used to gather information from the selected respondents. The study employed regression analysis to test the hypotheses. The findings of the study unveiled that employment opportunity has significant effects on social development. Furthermore, the study indicated that social condition has adverse influence on income level of people. The study recommended that the government should create more job opportunities to boost social development among its citizens and prioritize essential services, including quality healthcare, education, hunger eradication, combating substance abuse, and eliminating employment discrimination.