| dc.description.abstract | The safety net projects are currently spread in over 131 countries where 2.5 billion people are
benefiting from the program with 650million of them being drawn from the poorest. The safety
net project comes in the form of non- contributory transfer programmes aimed at alleviating
poverty amongst the poor and a shock cushion to the vulnerable thus to achieve an effective
and efficient payment exercises in the Safety Net Projects that is benefiting the forementioned
mission, there is need to address the fundamental challenges of positive identification of
beneficiaries, the diversity of cultural practices that may be stumbling block, illiteracy and
societal rot which have been constant thorn in the flesh towards achieving efficient beneficiary
payments exercise. The research was carried out to study the effect of biometric technology on
the efficiency of beneficiary payments in South Sudan Safety Net Projects. Specific objectives
were to ascertain the effect of Biometrics technology on beneficiary identification, naming
convention, payment to the illiterate and safeguards in achieving efficient payment exercise.
The study derived its theoretical navigation from the Identity Theory, Theory of Naming,
Principle of Verification Theory and The Fraud Triangle Theory. The study applied Descriptive
research tactic. Closed ended Questionnaire distributed by means of proportionate stratified
sampling was instrument used in data collection that was used in regression analysis where a
Target population of 1,309 hailing from the Seven states and one administrative area
comprising of Central Equatoria; 421, Eastern Equatoria; 218, Jonglei; 110, Upper Nile; 116,
Warrap; 219, Western Bahr El Ghazal; 116 and Pibor; 109. responded. Northern Bahr El
Ghazal was excluded as only two beneficiaries were registered. Attained data was analyzed
using excel and STATA where various analysis such as exploratory factor analysis, normality,
Linearity, correlation and multiple regression analysis were carried out. Key research findings
were presented by means of percentages and frequency distribution, measures of central
tendencies summarized in graph, tables and figures. The study established that positive
beneficiary identification and safeguards was critical to the success of beneficiary payment
process. The study also presented that the biometrics technology would significantly help in
the circumnavigation of the cultural practices which results into beneficiaries possessing
similar names as well as making light the burden faced by the illiterate who struggled with
passwords, PINs and signatures to the efficiency of beneficiary payments. The study suggested
the proposal of adopting biometrics in all Safety Net Programs, setting up of consolidated data
base for efficiency and deduplication, consider conducting education, fortification of
beneficiary selection and enrollment criterion. Suggestion submitted to future researchers that
they consider exploring the most effective biometrics technology model options as well as
running a deduplication to address beneficiary’s registration with aliases. | en_US |
