Microfinance and Poverty Reduction in Nigeria

Master's Thesis from the year 2013 in the subject Sociology - Miscellaneous, University of Freiburg (Global Studies Program, Institute fur Soziologie.), language: English, abstract: [...] The poverty question is a global phenomenon. It is perhaps one of the greatest challenges facingMankind today, especially in most parts of the developing world. This Perhaps explains why theeradication of poverty was listed as the first of the eight issues of the millennium developmentgoals. The problem of poverty is more disturbing giving the fact that there is abundant andenormous wealth in the world to adequately meet the needs of every one. Poverty may bedefined as a condition of lack and inability to meet adequately the basic needs of life such asShelter, food, education and health care. Similarly, according to a United Nations statement:Poverty is a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of humandignity. It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively insociety.It means not having enough to feed and clothe a family, not having aschool or clinic to go to; not having the land on which to grow one's foodor a job to earn one's living, not having access to credit. It meansinsecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households andcommunities. It means susceptibility to violence, and it often implies livingon marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean water orsanitation.(UN,2008 quoted in Ucha,2010).2In other words, the problems of poverty is more worrisome in Sub-Saharan Africa with 47.5% ofthe people living on less than $1.25 and 70% living on less than $2 per day in Sub-Sahara Africa(World Bank, 2008).The figure may have become worse considering the drought that hit parts ofhorn of (East) Africa in 2011 and the problem of maladministration or poor governancebedeviling the region. In Nigeria the high level of corruption, poor leadership has contributed to