Analysis of Community-Based Poverty Reduction Agency and Civil Resources Development and Documentation Centre: Implications for Sustainable Poverty Alleviation in Central Zone of Ebonyi State Nigeria

Abstract

This study analyzed community-Based Poverty Reduction Agency (CPRA) and Civil Resources Development and Documentation Centres (CIRDDC) and highlighted implications for sustainable poverty alleviation in central zone of Ebonyi state, Nigeria. Two hundred and forty randomly selected participants in poverty alleviation activities of both CPRA and CIRDDC constituted the sample size for the study, while an interview schedule for the participants as beneficiaries was employed for data collection. Both descriptive statistics namely; percentages and mean scores as well as a group t-test were adopted in data analysis. The findings revealed that majority (60.71%) of CPRA compared with 48.88 % of CIRDDC beneficiaries were males, while only 34.68 % of CIRDDC compared with majority (58.63%) of CPRA beneficiaries were married. Large (53.38%) numbers of CPRA compared with 47.54 % of CIRDDC were within the age range of 30-59 years, while majority (63.07%) of them under CIRDDC compared with 56.36 % of CPRA belonged to 6-15 member household. Furthermore, only 26.79% of CPRA compared with 26.56% of CIRDDC beneficiaries had WASC/SSCE/GCE 0/L, while 25% of CIRDDC compared with 28.57% of CPRA were either traders or artisans. Majority (69.64%) of CPRA compared with 65.63% of CIRDDC beneficiaries reported estimated annual saving income of N10, 000-N30, 000.00. Differences existed between CPRA and CIRDDC in all their poverty alleviation projects and dimensions of strategies employed by the agencies. Above all, the CIRDDC focused on group formation and orientation and had higher socio-economic impacts on their beneficiaries than the CPRA. The study recommends restructuring the CPRA and CIRDDC as well as streamlining their activities in line with workable public-private partnership to work with other rural-oriented organizations. The conclusion is that sustainable poverty alleviation in the central zone of Ebonyi state, Nigeria depends on the extent issues raised as implication in harmonizing the operations of CPRA and CIRDDC can be addressed and sustained.