Poverty-conflict nexus in Sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping literature review

Abstract

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remains entangled in the dual challenges of persistent poverty and recurring violent conflicts, which pose significant barriers to the region’s economic and social transformation. Although existing studies predominantly explore how poverty fuels conflict, there has been comparatively less emphasis on how conflict, in turn, is shaped by poverty. Moreover, the current body of literature on the poverty–conflict nexus in SSA is limited in scope, largely empirical, and often focused on isolated country contexts. The present study adopts a scoping review methodology guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) framework to address this gap. The review’s findings underscore a bidirectional relationship between poverty and conflict, with strong evidence indicating that conflict exacerbates poverty while poverty contributes to the outbreak and persistence of conflict. In light of these interlinkages, there is an urgent need for policy frameworks that are both holistic and context-sensitive, capable of addressing the structural causes of poverty and fostering inclusive peacebuilding strategies across the region.