Policy coherence and intergenerational poverty reduction in Kano state, Nigeria: A Sustainable Development Goals Perspectives

Abstract

Intergenerational poverty remains a critically challenging phenomenon in Nigeria, where inconsistent policies and fragmented strategies have hindered sustainable poverty reduction efforts. This study examines the effect of policy coherence on intergenerational poverty reduction in Kano State, with a focus on three key dimensions: goal alignment among relevant policies and agencies, inter-ministerial collaboration, and stakeholders’ participation in the design and implementation of poverty alleviation programmes. The research seeks to assess how these components of policy coherence influence efforts to break the cycle of poverty transmitted across generations. This study adopts a quantitative research design, using a cross-sectional survey, with a sample size of 362 respondents drawn from Kano Municipal, Dala, Bichi, Danbatta, Rano, and Sumaila Local Government Areas of Kano State. The study utilizes a structured questionnaire adapted from established instruments such as the Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty Questionnaire used in the Survey on Income and Living Conditions and policy coherence indicators from the study of Nilsson et al. (2018). Data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. The measurement model confirmed that all three indicators of policy coherence were valid, reliable, and free from multicollinearity, while also showing strong convergent validity. The structural model results revealed that policy coherence has a strong and significant positive effect on intergenerational poverty reduction in the selected local governments, Kano State. The
findings further showed that policy coherence explains a substantial proportion of changes in intergenerational poverty reduction. The study therefore established that improving policy coherence is an important pathway toward achieving the goal of ending poverty in all its forms. The study recommended that Government should strengthen mechanisms for aligning policy goals across ministries, departments, and agencies involved in poverty reduction programmes; government ministries and agencies should establish stronger platforms for inter-ministerial collaboration in the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of poverty reduction programmes; and government should also promote greater stakeholder participation in poverty reduction initiatives by actively engaging local communities, civil society organizations, traditional institutions, and development partners throughout the policy.