EXTENT OF POVERTY AND ASSESSMENT OF SDG 1 IN AFRICA

Poverty is a pandemic that affects people’s lives on daily basis, depriving them of good education, training opportunities, nutritional food, access to technology and other resources, acceptable standard of living, etc. The extent of poverty (focus) is explored in the African context (locus). The study is qualitative and using desktop approach. Literature review is considered to compile information using journal articles, official reports, web articles, chapters, Acts, etc. related to the topic of poverty and sustainable development goal 1 (zero poverty). The literature review assists in finding information related to the causes of poverty in Africa. Some of the significant causes explored in the study include rising cost of living; the twin challenges of poverty and climate change; wider social protection gaps; multidimensionality of poverty, rural/urban disparities; the economic stagnancy and debt trap; the inflation challenge; the climate-conflict nexus; the governance trap; infrastructure & fragility; and the inequality trap, to state a few. Information is assessed using document analysis. Findings show that there are also challenges related to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) in Africa. Few challenges discussed in the study are the global poverty line index recalibration; the climate-poverty link; social protection gaps; the poor education and human capital development crisis; and debt -service versus development dilemma in the region. The article offers recommendations for consideration and contributes to the fields of public management, and development studies.