All You Need To Know About Federal government's conditional cash transfer program And How To get your state code

Conditional cash transfer programmes (CCT) give money to poor people in return for fulfill specific behavioural conditions. These conditions include for example children's school attendance, up-to-date vaccinations or regular visits to a health care facility by pregnant women. 

Conditional cash transfer are a new type of social programme with the primary objective of alleviating poverty. A conditional cash transfer has a direct effect on poverty by providing an immediate additional income for the poor.

They can make their own choices as to how to spend or save this money. It is also expected to have a positive impact on the recipients’ health, education or other socio-economic well-being, depending on the condition applied. Thereby they help to break the transmission of poverty from one generation to the next. 

The cash transfer is aimed at providing short-term financial assistance to families often in extreme poverty without the means to provide for adequate food consumption while the conditions are aimed at promoting  longer term human capital investments, especially among the young.

Who are the beneficiaries of conditional cash transfer?

The beneficiaries of the Conditional cash transfer are those of the poor who can meet the conditions. The conditions are in turn often designed to target certain groups within the poor population rather than everyone. 

For example the residents of particular poor areas, such as slums, may be offered a 

Conditional cash transfer. Or the programme is offered to households with young children only, or those that have no regular income. 

Thereby, some of the poor are often excluded from CCTs in order to achieve a 

specific improvement within a clearly defined population. CCTs that target children and mothers do not cover the elderly poor. CCTs offered only in a poor neighbourhood will not reach poor people living elsewhere. A CCT thus aims to improve a particular problem area, but it is only one part of the social protection system.

What makes a conditional cash transfer programme successful? 

Many factors are associated with the success of a CCT in reaching its goals. These include the 

amount of the transfer, the design and enforcement of the conditions, the duration and 

sustainability of the programme, the efficiency of targeting and the transparency of its 

administration. Administering a social programme that hands out cash tends to be cheaper than 

one that delivers goods to its beneficiaries. A more difficult, and sometimes costly, part can be to 

identify (target) the needy. Monitoring and enforcing compliance with the conditions adds a 

further layer of complexity to a CCT. For both targeting and conditions it helps when they are 

simple and easily verifiable to keep costs down. 

Of particular importance to achieving health outcomes is the quality and availability of relevant 

health services. CCTs are demand-side interventions: the cash on offer is an incentive to use the 

relevant health services more. CCTs have no direct control over health service providers, but 

their conditionality can only be effective when quality health services are available to use. Where 

no health centre exists or is able to provide quality services, a cash transfer will achieve nothing 

for health. Thus, supply-side interventions to deal with potential problems such as low service 

quality, staff shortage or medical supply bottlenecks, are the first prerequisite for a successful 

CCT. Furthermore, the amount of the transfer needs to be enough to provide a fair incentive for 

the target group to fulfil the condition. Where health service providers charge user fees, they must 

not be allowed to increase them simply because some users receive a cash transfer. Finally, to 

achieve the long-term effect expected from improved and continued health and education 

attendance, the programme must be sustainably funded.

Key messages 

1. Conditional cash transfers are social assistance programmes aiming to reduce poverty. Apart 

from the extra income, the conditionality gets beneficiaries to invest into their own human 

capacities, by using basic health services or sending their children to school, which helps to 

break inter-generational poverty cycles. 

2. Conditional cash transfer programmes are not designed to pool risks, such as prepayment for 

curative care. They are well suited to improve access to preventive, regular health services 

for the poorest in society. 

3. Conditional cash transfers stimulate the demand for health services. To achieve a health 

outcome, this demand must be met by ensuring that high-quality health facilities are available 

at an affordable cost. Thus, this requires also investing in the supply of services.

The Potential of CCT Programs in Nigeria

Although these CCT programs still need improvement with regard to execution and development, the programs show great promise in reducing poverty rates, breaking intergeneration cycles of poverty and increasing the value of human capital in Nigeria. 

This is especially hopeful considering the success of the programs in other African countries. 

Because these programs target the health and education of youth living in poverty, these strategies help to create a strong foundation for children, thus creating a path for them to escape poverty in the future.

 With continued efforts to improve and develop these CCT programs in Nigeria, there is potential to greatly expand and improve Nigeria’s economy over time and reduce poverty in the region.

When did conditional cash transfer start in Nigeria This Year?

The program Beginning in 30th of May 2021, the Nigerian Government implemented the In Care of the People (COPE) CCT program, which at the time was the only nationwide government-sponsored CCT program

To Register for this program, kindly check your state below and dial the ussd code in it follow the instruction given

To get your state code bellow. 

                    👇👇👇

Bauchi *969*113#

Borno  *969*10#

EKITI.  *969*52#

ABUJA * 969*67 #969*67 n

NASARAWA *969*88#

KATSINA * 969*77 #969*77 n

SOKOTO *969*84# 

ADAMAWA * 969*22 #969*22 n

YOBE * 969*12 #969*12 n

OSUN STATE *969*54# 

ABUJA *969*67#

KATSINA *969*77#

ADAMAWA *969*22#

YOBE *969*12#

MAIDUGUDI *969*10#

USSD code for RRR

Kumbotso *969*99#

Ungogo *969*100#

Dawakin Tofa *969*101#

Kano Municipal *969*102#.

Tarauni *969*103#

Dala *969*104#

1. Shagari *969*244#

2. Kebbe *969*245#

3. Wamakko *969*246#

4. Tambawal *969*247#

5. Tangaza *969*248#

6. Bodinga *969*249#

7. Sabon-Birni *969*250#

8. Dange Shuni *969*251#

9. Tureta *969*252#

10. Gudu *969*253#

11. Gada *969*254#

12. Sokoto North *969*255#

14. Yabo  *969*257#

15. Sokoto South  *969*258#

16. Gworonyo *969*259#

17. Kware *969*260#

18. Binji *969*261#

19. Illela *969*262#

20. Isa *969*263#

21. Gwadabawa *969*264#

22. Silame *969*256

23. Rabah *969*265#.

If state code is not there, Kindly comment your state and it will be added there within 24hrs.

Please bookmark our blog to keep you update.

Thanks