‘When my husband died, I collected debt of N20,000……were going to take me to the court, but since the money came, I have cleared my debt and bought cattle’: intended and unintended socioeconomic impact of cash transfer program in Nigeria

The Nigerian government commenced large scale cash transfer program in 2017. We evaluated the socioeconomic impact of the cash transfer program (CTP) in Nigeria. Across six randomly selected states that had implemented the CTP for at least six months, qualitative inquiries were conducted among beneficiaries and program implementers. We utilized a program impact theory to explore the interaction of cash transfer on socioeconomic outcomes. Data were analysed using deductive and inductive thematic analysis. The CTP in Nigeria showed positive impact on reduction of poverty through new income generation or expansion of existing businesses. Food security was improved by promoting increased food expenditure. CTP increased utilization of health services including facility delivery of pregnancies. The CTP also promoted education by increasing attendance at school while also promoting opportunities for savings and investments. Though the majority of the beneficiaries were women, expenditure decision making on the cash was by men and in a few cases jointly. With the large number of poor and vulnerable persons in Nigeria the findings of the CTP in Nigeria show promise in improving key socioeconomic outcomes across poverty, health and nutrition, education, savings, and investment. Our findings justify the need for expansion of the CTP to more poor and vulnerable households. CTPs in Nigeria should consider implementing educational programs to enhance women’s financial literacy or adjusting the structure of the CTPs to incentivize shared decision-making. Future studies on CTP and its socioeconomic impact should include key metrics to measure the size of the impact.