The Former Prime Minister and President of the National Assembly of Côte d’Ivoire of Côte d’Ivoire, former Prime Minister, Patrick Achi, has warned Nigeria and other African governments not to allow citizens to depend on grants and cash transfer in the process of alleviating poverty.
Speaking at the 2026 Gender and Inclusion Summit organized by the Policy Innovation Centre (PIC), Achi said when economic growth is insufficient, its benefits are too narrowly shared, social protection, targeted cash transfers, development assistance and philanthropy have an important role to play.
And the traditional financing architecture is becoming less certain. Aid remains indispensable for crises, fragile states and the most vulnerable.
He however said they cannot become our economic model.
‘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 added that the most sustainable path out of poverty is to enable people to become economically productive and economic growth must create wealth, jobs and opportunities at 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.’
On her part, the First Lady of Kwara State and Chairperson of the Nigeria Governors’ Wives Forum, Ambassador Professor Olufolake AbdulRazaq, called for more women to occupy decision-making positions.
She stated that despite interventions in education, healthcare, economic empowerment, political participation and other areas, gender inequality remained a major obstacle to sustainable development.
AbdulRazaq said women’s economic empowerment must go beyond income generation to encompass access to opportunities, leadership, healthcare, education and platforms where policies affecting their lives are shaped.
Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Mr. Olaniyi Yusuf, said the challenge was no longer the absence of policies, but ensuring that commitments reached the people for whom they were designed.
Yusuf said the summit was established to help bridge the gap between policy commitments and lived realities, particularly for women, girls, youths, persons with disabilities and underserved communities.
‘Nothing happens by chance. Opportunity only becomes meaningful when it reaches the last mile,’ Yusuf said.