Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT)

The Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), otherwise known as the House Hold Uplifting Programme (HUP) finances regular and reliable safety nets transfers to targeted poor and vulnerable households, delivered in a manner that is accessible to the beneficiaries of the conditional cash transfer (CCT) and with benefit levels that are consistent with the conditional cash transfer (CCT) programme objectives. The conditional cash transfer (CCT) programme objective is to provide access to targeted transfers to poor and vulnerable households under an expanded national social safety nets system.

The conditional cash transfer (CCT) slogan is “Beta Don Come” which means better things have arrived with the following development objectives and specific outcomes:

The Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Objectives are as follows:

1) Improved household consumption

2) Increase in utilization of health and nutrition services

3) Improved school enrolment and attendance

4) Improved environmental sanitation and management

5) Asset and financial acquisition

6) Beneficiaries engaged in sustainable livelihood

The conditional cash transfer (CCT) focuses on the poor and vulnerable households (PVHH) in Nigeria. The PVHH are identified through a combination of geographic and community-based targeting mechanisms. These targeting mechanisms are conducted by the states, while the National Social Safety Net Coordination Office (NASSCO) supports and guides the process. The identified poor and vulnerable households (PVHH) from the process are included in the National Social Register (NSR). The data in the National Social Register (NSR) undergoes a Proxy Means Testing (PMT) used to rank the households from first to tenth deciles according to their poverty levels. According to the ranking, households that fall within the first to the sixth deciles of the National Social Register (NSR) distribution (equivalent to the absolute poverty line, which corresponds to those living below USD $2 a day) are eligible and enrolled into conditional cash transfer (CCT).

The Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) is being implemented through three sub-components as follows:

1) Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT)

2) Top-Up Cash Transfer

3) Livelihood

1. Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT)

This provides targeted monthly base cash transfer of ₦5,000 to the eligible mined from the National Social Register (NSR). The Conditional Cash Transfer is to help improve their consumption levels and to encourage them to develop savings skills. The overall objective is aimed at reducing poverty, preventing the vulnerable households from becoming poorer and building their ability to be better than what they were before they started benefiting from the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme.

2. Top-Up Cash Transfer

The top-up cash transfer is an additional ₦5,000 made available to some poor and vulnerable households (PVHH). Beneficiaries who qualify for the top-up cash transfer are required to participate in at least one of the activities that contributes to their human capital development and to a sustainable environment. Beneficiaries of the top-up cash transfer are expected to adhere to the specified conditions attached to the top-up transfer. These conditions are referred to as “co-responsibilities”. The co-responsibilities are associated to education, environment, health, and nutrition. Each state is expected to pick at least one co-responsibility that reflects the state’s deficiency in the specified areas. The objectives of the top-up cash transfer include the following:

A) Education: Increase children school enrolment/attendance

B) Environment: Address environmental hazards to improve productive assets

C) Health: Improve utilization of health facilities for ante-natal care, post-natal care, and child immunization

D) Nutrition: Improve child nutrition

3. Livelihood

The livelihood component complements the cash transfer in order to support targeted households to move out of poverty. This facilitates beneficiaries’ graduation out of poverty by ensuring they establish sustainable income generating activity that will make them self-reliant. The specific aim of the livelihood intervention is to build a mind-set of enterprise development in order to reduce abject poverty in communities. It aims at creating opportunities for work on-farm and off-farm especially among women and youth. Objectives of the livelihood support includes the following:

1) Increase the income of household with beneficiaries who engage in productive activities

2) Improve beneficiaries’ asset holdings

3) Improve beneficiaries’ psychosocial wellbeing

4) Support the elevation of beneficiaries out of poverty

5) Capacity Building and Grievance Rederess Mechanism

A. Capacity Building

Beneficiaries of the livelihood support cash transfer are provided with capacity building in the areas of:

1) Savings and Group Mobilization (SGM)

2) Life Skills (LS)

3) Micro Business 

4) Co-orientation, and Nutrition training for co-responsibility.

Some productive activities engaged in by beneficiaries include:

1) Farming such as cassava, maize, rice, and similar products

2) Animal farming such as goats, sheep, poultry, cows, and piggery

3) Petty trading such as provision shops

4) Processing of produce such as rice, cassava, oil palm, shear butter, and groundnut

5) Rendering of milling services

6).Rendering of tailoring service

7).Community projects such as drilling of boreholes and digging wells, renovation of health centres, and schools.

b. Grievance Redress Mechanism

In order to ensure effective and efficient delivery of the programme, the programme has a Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) structure set to address and escalate incidents of dissatisfaction and complaints that may arise during implementation in the field.

The Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) structure is established to receive complaints from both beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme (CCT) and non-beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme (CCT) on issues such as poor services, lack of/or inadequate information on CCT programme activities, payment-related issues, staff misconduct (including bribery and corruption related behaviors, intimidation, sexual harassment) and on the overall implementation of the CCT programme.

The Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) will ensure that all registered grievances are expeditiously handled and resolved within the specified time frame of 21 days, with the ultimate aim of achieving optimal service delivery by the implementing personnel

The Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) is structured to enable complaints to be made through:

1) Beneficiary representatives

2) Grievance Redress Officers at the Local Government level

3) States GRM desk offices

The National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) looks forward to having beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries utilize the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) structure effectively, to enhance and ensure better service delivery, a seamless Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme and the desired impact in addressing the challenges of poverty in many of our communities.

Conditional cash transfer offices - https://ncto.gov.ng/Coordinatingoffices.aspx