National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) and Socio-Economic Development in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

This paper examined the impact of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), specifically, the N-Power and Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), on socioeconomic development in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research design on a population of 369,225 NSIP beneficiaries in Akwa Ibom State, from which a sample size of 359 respondents was determined using the Taro Yamane formula. Data were collected through a structured four-point Likert-scale questionnaire, and 302 valid responses were analysed. The Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient and coefficient of determination were employed to test the hypotheses at a significance level of 0.05. The findings revealed a strong/ positive relationship between the N-Power program and employment opportunities, and a significant positive relationship between GEEP and the growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Akwa Ibom State. These results indicated that both components of the NSIP contributed meaningfully to employment generation and enterprise development among beneficiaries. Thus, the study recommended that the sustainability of these gains depended on effective exit strategies, skill enhancement, and integration of beneficiaries into long-term employment and enterprise support systems.