Qualitative Enugu study finds mixed N-Power post-exit employment outcomes

A qualitative case study of 25 former beneficiaries of Nigeria’s N-Power programme found that participants commonly reported gains in skills, work experience and professional development, but their employment and livelihood outcomes after leaving the programme varied substantially. Some described continued employment or income-generating activities, whereas others experienced unemployment, underemployment, financial constraints and difficulty converting acquired capabilities into sustainable livelihoods. The study therefore suggests that human-capital gains alone do not guarantee lasting post-programme employment when labour-market opportunities, economic resources and institutional transition mechanisms remain constrained.

Researchers purposively selected former beneficiaries across different N-Power programme batches and streams in Enugu State, Nigeria. The sample included 13 males and 12 females and represented beneficiaries of the N-Teach and N-Health components. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews, transcribed and analysed thematically through iterative reading, coding, categorisation and the development of cross-cutting themes. Ten information-rich cases were subsequently selected to provide deeper narrative illustration of the broader participant accounts. As a qualitative case study, the research explored experiences and perceived conditions shaping post-programme transitions; it did not estimate a population employment rate or establish that N-Power caused particular employment outcomes.

The interviews show that the period after a temporary programme placement was not a single, uniform experience. Participants’ accounts included continuation into work, engagement in activities that generated income, unemployment, underemployment and financial strain. Reported gains in skills, experience and professional development did not always translate into durable employment. The findings thus point to a gap between what beneficiaries may acquire during programme participation and their ability to secure sustained work and livelihoods after exit. They also caution against treating the programme as producing one measurable result for everyone, although the purposive Enugu sample cannot establish how frequently the different experiences occurred among N-Power beneficiaries generally.

To organise the study’s observations, the authors developed the Sustainable Employment Advancement Model, or SEAM. This study-derived conceptual framework integrates four dimensions: skills development, economic enablement, labour-market absorption and management continuity. SEAM extends Human Capital Theory, Active Labour Market Policy and policy-implementation perspectives by arranging these areas around the specific challenge of sustaining outcomes after temporary participation in N-Power. The authors describe the framework as conceptual rather than empirically validated, meaning that the supplied findings do not establish its effectiveness as an intervention model or confirm its general applicability. Further testing in other locations and programme settings would be required to assess that broader applicability.

Based on the case study, the researchers present structured post-programme transition support, stronger employer and labour-market linkages, improved enterprise support, clearer exit planning and systematic follow-up monitoring as evidence-informed policy considerations. They frame these suggestions as responses to issues raised by the qualitative evidence, rather than definitive nationwide prescriptions. The Enugu findings identify a practical policy problem: a temporary social investment programme may deliver skills and work experience to individual participants, yet sustained employment can remain uneven where opportunities, resources and transition support are restricted. Because the study is small, geographically focused and based on interviews with a purposively selected group, it cannot determine the prevalence or causes of the reported outcomes. Its contribution is instead a detailed account of varied post-exit trajectories and a testable conceptual framework for examining how those transitions might be supported.

Subject of Research: Post-programme employment transitions among former N-Power beneficiaries in Enugu State, Nigeria

Article Title: From social protection to post-programme employment? A qualitative case study of labour market transitions among N-power beneficiaries in Enugu State, Nigeria

Article References: Ani, E. O., Njoku, C. C., Ukeje, I. O., Iwuala, H. O., Nwaigwe, H. C., & Owo, H. N. (2026). From social protection to post-programme employment? A qualitative case study of labour market transitions among N-power beneficiaries in Enugu State, Nigeria. SN Social Sciences, 6(11), Article 570. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-026-01813-x

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s43545-026-01813-x

Keywords: N-Power, Nigeria, youth employment, Enugu State, qualitative research, labour markets, skills development, livelihoods, social protection, post-programme transitions, social, protection