Does Corporate Social Responsibility Alleviate Poverty in Nigeria? A Critical Analysis of Some Selected Listed Organisations in Nigeria

This research adds to the already knowledge base on Corporate Social Responsibility as a growing concept in the business world. The purpose of this study was to determine organisations’ contribution to poverty alleviation through corporate social responsibility activities in Nigeria. The study also investigated the effect of firm performance and company share price on companies’ contribution to poverty alleviation. Data was gathered from the annual and sustainability reportsoftwenty (20) companies fromfour (4) different industries onNigerian Stock Exchange, over a period of six years (2015-2020). The industries include the financial sector, consumer goods sector, industrial sector, and oil and gas sector. Panel regression was used to examine the relationships between the variables used in the study. Findings from this study show that organisations Corporate Social Responsibility activities have a significant relationship on poverty alleviation in Nigeria. Results from data analysed showed that company’s firm performance and share price have no effect on their contribution to poverty alleviation in Nigeria.As a result, the researcher proposes that more businesses engage in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts to help Nigerians break out of poverty.