Analytical Examination of Cooperative Sector Contributions to Rural Livelihoods in North East Nigeria

The cooperative sector's contribution to rural livelihoods in North East Nigeria has been severely disrupted by the Boko Haram insurgency, yet recovery trajectories and the current magnitude of cooperative livelihood impact remain analytically unexamined. This study analytically examined cooperative sector contributions to rural livelihoods in the post-insurgency recovery context of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa States. A mixed-methods analytical design was adopted, combining quantitative household surveys with 300 cooperative member households and 150 non-member households across four LGAs per state, and qualitative case studies with fifteen cooperatives that had survived or reformed following insurgency disruption. Livelihood outcomes were assessed using a modified Sustainable Livelihoods Framework across human, financial, social, physical, and natural capital dimensions. Regression-based propensity score matching compared outcomes between cooperative member and non-member households. Qualitative analysis documented cooperative resilience and recovery strategies. Results showed that cooperative member households had significantly higher composite livelihood scores than non-members after matching (p < 0.001), with the strongest cooperative effects on financial capital (income diversity and credit access) and social capital (network breadth and trust). Cooperatives that had maintained social cohesion during displacement showed faster post-displacement recovery. The study fills an important analytical gap on cooperative-livelihood linkages in post-conflict northern Nigeria and recommends explicit cooperative sector integration in northeast Nigeria's recovery and resilience frameworks. Keywords: cooperative livelihoods, North East Nigeria, post-conflict recovery, sustainable livelihoods framework, propensity score matching