Patrick Achi, the former Prime Minister and President of the National Assembly of Côte d’Ivoire, has issued a stern caution to Nigeria and other African governments. He advised against allowing their citizens to become reliant on grants and cash transfer programmes as the primary means of alleviating poverty.
Speaking at the 2026 Gender and Inclusion Summit, organised by the Policy Innovation Centre (PIC), Mr. Achi acknowledged that in situations where economic growth is inadequate or its benefits are too narrowly distributed, social protection measures, targeted cash transfers, development assistance, and philanthropy undeniably play crucial roles.
He further recognised that the traditional financing architecture is becoming increasingly uncertain, and aid remains indispensable for crisis situations, fragile states, and the most vulnerable populations. However, he firmly asserted that these mechanisms must not become the fundamental economic model for nations.
Avoiding a 'Poverty-Alleviation Industry'
Mr. Achi cautioned:
“We must be careful not to create what I would call a poverty-alleviation industry — a system that becomes very good at managing poverty without building the mechanism that ends it. Cash transfers and grants can be essential bridges. They can save lives and protect dignity. But if the bridge never leads to productive income, we remain vulnerable to the day the grant stops.”
He stressed that the most sustainable route out of poverty involves empowering individuals to achieve economic productivity. Therefore, he argued, economic growth must be designed to generate wealth, create jobs, and foster opportunities on a substantial scale.
“We must therefore be careful not to build a system that becomes better at managing poverty than at ending it. The lasting answer is productive employment and income. The State must create the conditions for investment, enterprise and job creation at scale, while ensuring that the opportunities and benefits of growth reach a much broader share of the population,” he added.
Calls for Women's Inclusion and Policy Implementation
In a related contribution, Ambassador Professor Olufolake AbdulRazaq, the First Lady of Kwara State and Chairperson of the Nigeria Governors’ Wives Forum, advocated for increased representation of women in critical decision-making positions. She highlighted that despite numerous interventions across education, healthcare, economic empowerment, political participation, and other sectors, gender inequality continues to present a significant barrier to sustainable development.
Professor AbdulRazaq emphasised that empowering women economically should extend beyond mere income generation. It must encompass comprehensive access to opportunities, leadership roles, healthcare services, educational pathways, and platforms where policies directly impacting their lives are formulated.
Mr. Olaniyi Yusuf, Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), identified the primary challenge not as a lack of policies, but rather the imperative to ensure that policy commitments effectively reach the intended beneficiaries. This includes ensuring they trickle down to the citizens for whom they were specifically designed.
Mr. Yusuf clarified that the summit was established with the objective of bridging the gap between high-level policy commitments and the lived realities experienced by people, particularly women, girls, youths, individuals with disabilities, and underserved communities. “Nothing happens by chance. Opportunity only becomes meaningful when it reaches the last mile,” Yusuf concluded, underscoring the importance of practical implementation.