Sustainability Assessment of Community-Based Poverty Reduction Projects (CPRP) in Nigeria

Abstract

Community-based development projects have become an important mechanism for channeling development assistance that involves beneficiaries in the design, implementation, and management of community development projects towards improving their living standards. Many evaluation studies have reported improvements and successes with the adoption of the community-based development strategy. However, it has been contended that most community-based development projects have sustainability problems after the withdrawal of the funding agencies. This article focuses on assessing the sustainability of a Community-based Poverty Reduction Project (CPRP) in Kebbi state, Nigeria using a framework of monitoring indicators to measure various dimensions of sustainability of the project The findings of the study revealed that while the initiative has recorded huge successes regarding project outputs during the funding period, the project’s outcomes could not be sustained after the withdrawal of the funding agency. Most of the outputs have problems in different dimensions of sustainability. The authors argue that although many factors contribute to the lack of project sustainability, a key factor is careful planning and implementation. The authors recommend that the design and implementation of the CPRP should focus on economic, community and environmental aspects of sustainability.