THE WORLD BANK AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN ABIA STATE, NIGERIA, 1999 – 2023

Abstract

Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria inclusive, could not achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) targets due to pervasive poverty, corruption and misappropriation of funds. In the recent past, the development and modernization of rural areas have drawn the attention of international donor agencies. Governmental activities have been concentrated in the urban centres to the neglect of rural areas. This development drew the attention of financial institutions like the World Bank, International Monitory Fund (IMF), etc. to subsequently fund socio-infrastructural, environmental and agricultural projects in the rural areas. With assistance from these donor agencies, it is gratifying to note that some states in Africa, specifically Nigeria, are on the path to modernity. Therefore, the Modernization Theory, a theory of development, was adopted in this research. The qualitative research methodology was also adopted. Secondary and primary sources which include materials and documents generated by events, those produced to record events as they happen, and oral sources were utilized. Findings show that the policies and programmes of government and donor agencies have had varying degrees of success and challenges in Abia State. The paper recommends that realistic development strategies be adopted by government and development agencies to mitigate the scourge of poverty in rural communities rather than pursue targets and policies that are cumbersome and difficult to actualize, and implement.