Evaluation of Community Development Programmes Targeting Poverty Reduction in Gombe State

Community development programmes implemented by federal and state agencies represent a major mechanism for poverty reduction in North East Nigeria, yet rigorous professional evaluation of their implementation quality and outcome effectiveness is rarely conducted. This study evaluates community development programmes targeting poverty reduction in Gombe State, North East Nigeria, focusing on three major programmes active between 2020 and 2024: the FADAMA III Additional Financing project, the Community and Social Development Project, and the Gombe State Conditional Cash Transfer programme. A professional programme evaluation methodology was employed, combining review of programme documentation, sixty beneficiary household interviews across Gombe, Akko, and Yamaltu-Deba LGAs, and structured interviews with fourteen programme administrators and civil society monitors. The Programme Theory of Change framework guided evaluation design. Results indicate that community targeting accuracy was highest for the CCT programme at 74% of benefits reaching intended poor households, compared to 58% for FADAMA and 51% for CSDP, where elite capture of benefits was documented. Sustainability mechanisms were inadequately designed in all three programmes, with beneficiary groups dissolving within six months of programme exit in 67% of cases. Gender-inclusive beneficiary selection was a stated objective but achieved in practice at only two of five visited implementation sites. Recommendations include mandatory independent poverty targeting verification, integration of community sustainability plans into programme design, and quarterly programme performance reporting to a multi-stakeholder oversight committee in Gombe State. Keywords: community development, poverty reduction, Gombe State, programme evaluation, social protection.