In compliance with the United Nations objectives and the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) on eradication of absolute poverty, Nigeria (as a member of the United Nations)
established the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP). The National Poverty
Eradication Programme (NAPEP) was established in 2001 to address the challenges of
poverty in Nigeria. The efforts of NAPEP towards poverty reduction were evaluated
through its activities of Micro-Credit and Capacity Enhancement in Enugu state. In spite of
this laudable government intervention, the programme?s impacts are not generally known
and systematically documented. The records available only gathered information on the
number of projects carried out, the beneficiaries and the amounts involved. Simply
gathering data on outcomes sheds little light on why objectives of intervention programmes
have or have not been met. The purpose of the study was to examine the roles of NAPEP
on Capacity Enhancement through Micro-Credit with a view to examining how it has
performed in its principal objective of poverty reduction in Enugu State and to evaluate
how Micro-Credit and Capacity Enhancement have improved the socio-economic
conditions of the participants in state. In the course of the study, we applied both historical
and survey research methods; hence, primary and secondary data were obtiained. In the
case of the primary data, questionnaires, focus group discussions, interviews and nonparticipant
observation were applied. A composite sample of 500 (five hundred) capacity
enhancement and micro-credit beneficiaries, participants of NAPEP programmes and
stakeholders in the state were drawn for the study through purposive sampling technique.
Statistical tools, such as frequency tables, percentages and chi-square, were used in testing
the hypotheses. The findings of the study reveal the following: (i) that there were a number
of beneficiaries in all the NAPEP programmes in Enugu state; (ii) that NAPEP played
positive roles on Capacity Enhancement through Micro-credit in Enugu State; and (iii) that
Micro-credit has positive effect on Capacity Enhancement and has improved the conditions
of the participants in Enugu State. However, adequate and improved funding, proper and
increased enlightenment, periodic evaluation of programmes, establishment of skills
acquisition centers were part of the measures suggested to be employed to improve the
performance of NAPEP in Enugu State so as to facilitate its goals of poverty reduction and
enhanced development.