Contributions of Ikogosi Warm Springs to Poverty Alleviation in Ikogosi Community, Ekiti State, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper reports the social impact and contributions of Ikogosi Warm Springs to poverty alleviation in Ikogosi Community, Ekiti State,  Nigeria. A survey of opinions of the residents and spring workers in the community was taken using a questionnaire. Three hundred  questionnaires were retrieved, validated after data cleaning, and analysed using ordinal logistic regression. Social impact was found to  have significant, nonsignificant, positive and negative influences on the residents’ standard of living. The result for the parameter estimate for social impact was weak. The presence of Ikogosi Warm Springs has provided access to quality and affordable healthcare  services and also affected the academic achievement of students within the community. The springs’ presence also created more awareness on gender equality, assisted in the preservation of historical sites, influenced the dressing culture of the residents, increased  their sources of income, led to infrastructural development, and contributed to the need for a good road network. It is therefore  recommended that government at all levels should focus efforts on creating an enabling business climate that attracts tourism investors, and through which the local communities can benefit from infrastructural development as part of the corporate social responsibility of  the investors, in the overall interest of tourism development in the state.