Kwara State Social Investment Programme (KWASSIP) could exclusively lift as many as 500,000 people out of poverty in the next five years, a report by a research team of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, Kaduna State, has said.

Developed by Group Five of the Exercise Nigeria Study Tour from the AFCSC after its visit to Kwara in 2021, the report dwelt on the links between socioeconomic development (SED) and national security with a special focus on Kwara.

The report commended the state government for introducing the safety net, which it observed has had positive impacts on the citizens and recommended that it be extended to benefit more people, especially youths.

The report stated: "KWASSIP was launched in 2020 to support petty traders and the vulnerable as well as to alleviate as many Kwara indigenes as possible out of poverty," it observed.

"KWASSIP also provided interest-free loans to private school owners during the COVID-19 school closure. Additionally, since the launch of the scheme in 2020, about 60,000 people have benefited from the programme.

"Most of the beneficiaries were discovered to be youth. These account for about 4 percent of the working population. This represents about 13.6% of the total population of the state. This development is commendable; therefore, Kwara State Government could expand the programme to cover a wider population of the labour force.

"It is projected that if properly sustained, the programme could lift about 500,000 low-income earners out of poverty within the next five years. This programme, if sustained, could improve SED in Kwara State and by extension enhance national security."

The report also encouraged the government to support more private businesses, especially those in the agricultural value chains as the state has a comparative advantage in the sector.