Government sectoral expenditure and poverty alleviation in Nigeria

Abstract

Poverty alleviation in the developing countries has been an issue of concern especially in Africa which accounts for two-thirds of the total number of people in the world living in extreme poverty. The World Poverty Clock indicates that half of Nigerian population are dwelling in abject poverty, implying that MDGs agenda seems to be ineffective in Nigeria which is the giant of Africa. Thus, this study examines the role of government sectoral expenditure on poverty alleviation using a secondary form of data covering a millennium period from 2000 to 2017. The study employs ordinary least squares technique and the regression result indicates that government expenditure on agriculture, building and construction, education and health do not have any significant impact on poverty alleviation in Nigeria. The study therefore concludes that government spending on these key sectors of the economy is insufficient and recommends that more funds should be budgeted to boost these sectors in order to eradicate the scourge of poverty in the country.