Does Corporate Social Responsibility Alleviate Poverty in Nigeria? A Critical Analysis of Some Selected Listed Organisations in Nigeria (Published)
This research adds to the already knowledge base on Corporate Social Responsibility as a growing concept in the business world. The purpose of this study was to determine organisations’ contribution to poverty alleviation through corporate social responsibility activities in Nigeria. The study also investigated the effect of firm performance and company share price on companies’ contribution to poverty alleviation. Data was gathered from the annual and sustainability reportsoftwenty (20) companies fromfour (4) different industries onNigerian Stock Exchange, over a period of six years (2015-2020). The industries include the financial sector, consumer goods sector, industrial sector, and oil and gas sector. Panel regression was used to examine the relationships between the variables used in the study. Findings from this study show that organisations Corporate Social Responsibility activities have a significant relationship on poverty alleviation in Nigeria. Results from data analysed showed that company’s firm performance and share price have no effect on their contribution to poverty alleviation in Nigeria.As a result, the researcher proposes that more businesses engage in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts to help Nigerians break out of poverty.
Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Firm Performance, Poverty Alleviation, Share Price
Microfinance (Mf) and Poverty Alleviation In Southwest Nigeria: Empirical Evidence (Review Completed - Accepted)
By inspection, observation and government records there are too many poor in SouthWest Nigeria who require micro/small financial services such as credit, insurance, money transfer etcetera in order to engage actively in productive activities and improve their standard of living. Paradoxically, governments across the world, particularly in Nigeria over the years, have not been able to adequately help the poor in spite of all the rhetorics and several failed poverty-alleviation projects. The objective study examines the roles of microfinance towards the dispersion of credit among the working poor and also helped to improve the standard of living in Nigeria. The study draws from the data collected from the field survey and these were reported using tables, frequency counts and cross-tabulations to draw inferences. In addition, a loan demand model was specified and estimated using the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) econometric technique.The study used cross-sectional data collected from selected respondents in selected areas of both the Lagos and Ogun States of Nigeria respectively. The study confirmed that most of the Microfinance banks in Nigeria are tailored after the Grameen Bank which focuses on the poor and people with basic, little or no education and that loan demand is interest rate insensitive to loan demand. The study recommended that MFIs should design appropriate products that are flexible enough to meet the different needs of the poor for both production and consumption purposes. Government should urgently tackle the infrastructural gaps such as electricity, water and efficient transportation system which impact greatly on the standard of living of the people;
Keywords: Grameen Bank, Microfinance, Poverty Alleviation