Nigeria combines substantial natural and human resources with persistently high poverty. The 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index shows that 133 million people (63 per cent of the population) are multidimensionally poor. Recent World Bank and IMF assessments confirm that monetary poverty and food insecurity remain elevated despite post-2023 macroeconomic reforms. This paper argues that weak institutional capacity is the critical missing link between reform and household welfare. Drawing on institutional economics, state-capacity theory and the capability approach, it conceptualises institutional capacity in five dimensions: administrative, technical, political, fiscal and coordination capacity. Using a structured integrative review of official statistics, multilateral reports, governance indicators and peer-reviewed studies, the analysis shows how capacity shortfalls sustain the poverty trap through implementation failures, leakages, weak service delivery and low public trust. Stronger capacity can convert stabilisation gains into improved human capabilities, productivity and resilience. The paper contributes an institutional-capacity transmission framework and concludes that macroeconomic stabilisation is necessary but insufficient. Sustained poverty reduction requires professional public administration, institutionalised social protection, stronger fiscal institutions and sequenced reforms that protect sub-national delivery capacity. Read more

Sustainable development is an idea of global awareness about the demand for natural resources for growth and development with obvious consequences on the environment, especially for the future. The idea now has a 17-goal agenda, which was adopted in January 2015, by the UNDP to be achieved within a time frame of 15 years, from 2015 to 2030. Even though Africa is not on the same level as the global North, in terms of development, all African countries now embrace the idea. Using public policy as a perspective in understanding the implementation of the 17 goals, because all the 17 goals are policy issues and the state is central to policy formulation and implementation, this paper, therefore, interrogates the nature of the African state in order to see the extent to which African countries can achieve the 17 goals. The paper observes that the nature of the African state must be put in a proper perspective in order to understand why African countries may not achieve even one of the 17 goals within the 15- year time frame. This is because the state is today, the problem with the African development process, for being in crisis and for operating with very weak institutions. Read more