The potential of asset-based development strategies for poverty alleviation in Sub-Saharan Africa

Int J Soc Welfare 2010: 19: 433-443 (C) 2010 The Author(s), Journal compilation (C) 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and International Journal of Social Welfare. This article explores the potential of a relatively new approach to social development as a poverty alleviation strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): asset-based development, an integrated approach to human, social, and economic capital formation. It considers the theoretical framework guiding asset-based development and the accompanying set of programmatic and policy-level tools for poverty alleviation in SSA. After considering the recent historical and theoretical contexts of the approach, the authors examine the potential of asset-based development programs, specifically savings-led microfinance programs for the poor, to engender development and, more specifically, poverty alleviation in the region. Major challenges and directions for future research are presented.