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Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 01 Issue 03
April 2015
Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 139
An Assessment of United Nations Development Project (Undp) in Rural
Development in Nigeria
1. Temola Thomas Olayemi ; 2.Omosulu S. Bamikole; 3.Famutimi J. Taiwo; 4. Anjorin A. Fadeshola
Rufus Giwa Polytechnic Department of Urban and Regional Planning
P.M.B.1019, Owo. Ondo State Nigeria
ola.yemi95@gmail.com; omosuluk@yahoo.com; anthonyfadeshola@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
It is a known fact that the various developmental
projects embarked upon by the governments of
many developing nations have not yielded the
necessary results hence their reliance on several
international organizations like the United
Nations, World Bank, European Union to name
but few for assistance. Nigeria as a developing
nation have also benefited from many
developmental projects of these international
organizations and the thrust of this research
therefore is to assess the efforts of the United
Nations Development Project in combating
poverty and aiding the development of the rural
areas of Nigeria through the millennium
development project. The study area
Ikaram/Ibaram Akoko in Ondo State, south west
Nigeria is one of the two rural settlements
selected in Nigeria for the millennium
development project with the aim of investing
$110 person per year on thirty thousand
beneficiaries for five years. The research was
carried out through the use of structured
questionnaires, direct observation and personal
interview with beneficiaries. The research shows
that the project is working and has some benefits
on the target population which include increased
income as a result of improved farm yield which
translates to improved standard of living. Also
there is increase in primary school enrollment of
pupils within the study area. Some
recommendations were also made which include
prompt and regular disbursement of funds,
training and retraining of project staff, as well as
improving the security within the study area
especially for the project staff.
Keywords:
poverty alleviation, gender equality, women
empowerment, rural development
Introduction
It has been identified in recent years that
many Third World countries have realized that
the development strategies they pursued in the
Page 2 of 9
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 01 Issue 03
April 2015
Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 140
past three decades were inappropriate and in
some cases irrelevant to their needs. They have
also come to realize that a development strategy
tied primarily to economic growth and gross
domestic product will not by itself solve
problems of employment and income distribution
or improve the conditions of the poorest segments
of the population (Francis, 1986). This was the
situation in some developing countries like
Brazil, Tanzania, and Nigeria among others.
Recently, however, new emphasis has been
accorded the rural sector in the development
planning of the country and one of these is the
involvement of some international organizations
like the World Bank, United Nations among
others in bi-national and multinational relations.
The development of economic base of the rural
areas by these organizations has been majorly by
transfer of resources through loans and grants
from the advanced countries and other
international agencies to sponsor or supplement
development programs in the third world and one
of such programmes is the UN Millennium
Development Goals [MDGs] which started in
1990 and expected to last for 15years. The MDGs
are the world's time-bound and quantified targets
for addressing extreme poverty in its many
dimensions— income, poverty, hunger, disease,
lack of adequate shelter, and exclusion—while
promoting gender equality, education, and
environmental sustainability. It is envisaged that
if the Goals are achieved, more than 500 million
people will be lifted out of extreme poverty by
2050 and there will also be dramatic
improvement in child health (Summit on the
Millennium development Goals: 20-22
September, 2010) One of the strategies put in
place to achieve these goals is the Millennium
Development Village. 80 of such villages
clustered into sites in 10 countries were selected
worldwide to benefit from an all embracing
program focusing on the attainment of the
millennium development goals.
(milleniumvillages.org, 2008) and in Nigeria,
Ikaram/Ibaram is a beneficiary of these
programmes. In Nigeria, the development of the
rural area or empowerment of the rural dwellers
has taken several strategies, programmes, policies
among others in Nigeria. This is because of the
recognitions accorded to the rural areas as
channel through which even development can be
achieved in the country. It is on record that local
programmes such as the Green Revolution in
agriculture, Operation Feed the Nation,
Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural
Infrastructures (DFFRI) and others were in most
cases supported by foreign policies and
programmes for Nigeria without any significant
improvement in the lives of the rural dwellers
(Mabogunje & Akin L. 1981).
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e-ISSN: 2395-0463
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April 2015
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The Study Area
Ondo state is one of the privileged states
in Nigeria to be selected for the millennium
development project and Ikaramu/Ibaram -
Akoko in Akoko North West L.G.A is even more
privileged to be selected for the project. The
Ikaram Millennium Village Project (MVP) is one
of the two MVPs in Nigeria (the second one
being in Pampaida, Kaduna State) and it officially
took off in May 2006. The Ikaram MVP covers 7
villages in Akoko North West Local Government
Area (ANWLGA) of Ondo State, South Western
Region of Nigeria with an estimated population
of about 18,000.The Ikaramu/lbaram Millennium
Village project is funded and supported by the
Ondo state government, the Earth Institution of
Columbia University in New York and UNDP.
Thirty thousand beneficiaries are targeted on the
premise of investing $110 per person over five
year in order to transform the life of the rural
poor. The population of the LGA, according to
the 2006 population census, represented 6.62% of
the total state's population of about 3.441 million
people (2006 Census Population Figures).
INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE TO
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
History has it that several efforts,
strategies, policies, programmes and projects
have been channeled over time by many
international organizations such as the (World
Bank), International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development, International Monetary Fund
(IMF), International Development Association
(IDA), the international Finance Corporation
(IFC), European Monetary System (EMS),
among others towards the development of the
third world and according to Okafor (1986), he
stated that in recent years, international agencies
have played an increasing role in rural
development in the third world countries.
Millenium Development Goals In Nigeria
Some of the millennium development
goals that are currently being implemented across
Nigeria include:
Goal 1: To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
Goal 2: To achieve universal primary education
Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower
women
Data Analysis, Presentation And Finding
This section involves the presentation of
findings being analyzed based on the facts and
figures of the data collected concerning the
research. Each of the goals was identified and
relevant projects embarked upon by UNDP were
observed and evaluated to corresponding
beneficiaries in relations to the achievement in
the cluster area.
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION AND ACHIEVEMENT.
