Analysis of Urban Poverty Distribution and Its Spatial Patterns in Sokoto City

Urban poverty is spatially concentrated in Nigerian cities, with poor neighborhoods exhibiting distinct patterns of infrastructure deprivation, economic exclusion, and social vulnerability. This study analyses the spatial distribution of urban poverty and associated deprivation patterns in Sokoto City, the capital of Sokoto State in North West Nigeria. Using a poverty index constructed from housing quality, access to services, educational attainment, and income proxy data, the study maps poverty distribution across selected wards in Sokoto North and Sokoto South local government areas. Data were collected from 215 households through structured questionnaires, and secondary data on ward-level infrastructure provision were obtained from the Sokoto State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning. GIS spatial analysis tools were used to produce poverty distribution maps identifying clusters of high deprivation. Findings are expected to reveal spatially concentrated poverty in peripheral wards with limited formal employment, poor road access, and inadequate public services, consistent with broader patterns of urban poverty in Sahel-region Nigerian cities. The study examines the role of informality in sustaining economic coping strategies in poor neighborhoods and the limited reach of existing social protection programs. Recommendations address targeted infrastructure investment in high-poverty wards, expansion of conditional cash transfer programs to urban households, integration of poverty mapping into Sokoto's urban development planning, and strengthening of community development associations as channels for delivering basic services. Keywords: Urban poverty, Spatial distribution, Sokoto, Deprivation index, GIS.