Around the world, social protection interventions are increasingly attracting government and donor resources, with an eye to reducing poverty and vulnerability, promoting growth and increasing stability. In Nigeria too, social protection policy and programming have emerged in recent years, with the government and its development partners currently implementing cash transfers to address the country’s high rates of poverty and vulnerability.

This Project Briefing examines the role, appropriateness and feasibility of cash transfers in the Nigerian context. It is part of a project funded by UNICEF Nigeria to support the Government of Nigeria in realising its overarching development strategy and development of a national social protection strategy, and is one of five thematic outputs (the others relate to mapping of social protection, HIV/AIDS, child protection and fiscal space).