Dear Sir,
Local policy makers involvement in the development of local language for industrial capacity involves media regulation,educational policy reform.There must be Time lines for achieving such programmes and internal monitoring with quarterly reports as well as external monitoring using oversight function
A competitive rewards system while encouraging cooperation across ministries departments and agencies makes governments work in cross purposes.So the rules must change
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Democracy and Development in Africa
"Africa's future is up to the Africans ...","... what Africa needs is not strong men but strong institutions" (the words of President Barack Obama of the United States of America in a speech at Ghana,2009). Africa can not develop without good governance.This is the plain truth.The Dark continent has been bedeviled by corrupt,oppressive rule since its liberation (?) from colonial rule.One oppressive system merely replaced another as neo colonialism ensured that most African states have strong economic and political links with their former colonial masters.Many African states lapsed into civil war,others were constantly under military misrule allegedly with foreign support.Democratic structures which existed in pre colonial times were dismantled and no effort was made to revive them upon Independence.
The way forward would be the imitation of the success story of the Industrial revolution witnessed in 15th and 16th century Europe and America:Entrepreneurs, independent of Government, developed the economic system and the political system,fearing irrelevance,provided the necessary infrastructure and the rest is history.Developing the economic system will automatically develop the political system.If poverty is reduced,the struggle for scarce resources becomes less of a zero sum game and politics would be for the purpose of serving the people instead of serving selfish interests.
The industrial revolution in Europe, Germany, France, Russia, 1815-1914
Electronic Governance would reduce the cost of governance and enable government to reach more people, thereby acquiring more legitimacy.This will ensure stability which attracts local and foreign investments which in turn ensure more socio economic and political stability.Electronic voting will eliminate electoral fraud and ensure that the will of the people prevail.The mass media also have a role to play in the development of democratic values:the African media are pessimistic about the chances of progress in democratic lines because of decades of decay and the unwritten rule of Journalists: "bad news is good news".
Hopefully,the mass media will rise to the challenge of liberating Africa from the negative stereotype : the dark continent.
The way forward would be the imitation of the success story of the Industrial revolution witnessed in 15th and 16th century Europe and America:Entrepreneurs, independent of Government, developed the economic system and the political system,fearing irrelevance,provided the necessary infrastructure and the rest is history.Developing the economic system will automatically develop the political system.If poverty is reduced,the struggle for scarce resources becomes less of a zero sum game and politics would be for the purpose of serving the people instead of serving selfish interests.
The industrial revolution in Europe, Germany, France, Russia, 1815-1914
Electronic Governance would reduce the cost of governance and enable government to reach more people, thereby acquiring more legitimacy.This will ensure stability which attracts local and foreign investments which in turn ensure more socio economic and political stability.Electronic voting will eliminate electoral fraud and ensure that the will of the people prevail.The mass media also have a role to play in the development of democratic values:the African media are pessimistic about the chances of progress in democratic lines because of decades of decay and the unwritten rule of Journalists: "bad news is good news".
Hopefully,the mass media will rise to the challenge of liberating Africa from the negative stereotype : the dark continent.
ICT 4 DEV
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) defines the current age,the Information Age.The age of Computers has changed the culture of Billions of people as information (and wealth) travels faster than the speed of light.Yet,despite the numerous opportunities availed us by the internet,poverty ravages Africa and unemployment is widespread even in developed countries during the economic recession.
For any country to survive the harsh economic climate,it must be up to date and use 'out of the box' solutions to the myriad of problems facing it.Problems such as poor infrastructure,inadequate qualified manpower and inadequate funding hinder the efforts at bridging the digital divide.
The poor state of infrastructure hinders the spread of ICT in Africa.The vital infrastructure needed is electricity.The power sector in Africa is grossly inadequate for any meaningful development thus resulting in the closure of factories,loss of jobs,hyperinflation etc.The proposed African electric grid ,designed by Eskom South Africa,offers a fantastic opportunity for African states to resolve the power crisis.Regional institutions can build grids connecting member states and also implement power generation projects which can enable flexibility (according to the vagaries of demand and supply).Various developmental agencies can be assigned to various regions in order to ensure adequate funding.This should be a counterpart funding arrangement combined with Public Private Partnerships.Prepaid meters enable energy saving (and cost saving) consumption resulting in optimal utilization of energy.
The problem of inadequate qualified personnel can be resolved through a series of "training the trainer" projects.Interns from organizations such as the Technical Aid Corps of Nigeria can train African students,civil servants etc on best practices in the ICT sector.This project should be backed by the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) and the US Peace Corps.Revolving grants and loan guarantees should replace salaries and wages.This will reduce the inflationary pressures on ICT projects and increase their feasibility rates thus attracting more funding.
Funding can be increased through the attachment of financial literacy to computer literacy.Banks will only fund feasible projects by the financially literate( those with business systems).Patrons as investors model (cost as revenue system) can defeat inflation and reduce risks.This will certainly appeal to investors.Angel investors should be encouraged in order to reduce marginal risk.Industrial schools to cooperative education using online jobs and internship,integrated business management and model business planning,shift system and business cloning with a multiple income stream can create this vital class.
For any country to survive the harsh economic climate,it must be up to date and use 'out of the box' solutions to the myriad of problems facing it.Problems such as poor infrastructure,inadequate qualified manpower and inadequate funding hinder the efforts at bridging the digital divide.
The poor state of infrastructure hinders the spread of ICT in Africa.The vital infrastructure needed is electricity.The power sector in Africa is grossly inadequate for any meaningful development thus resulting in the closure of factories,loss of jobs,hyperinflation etc.The proposed African electric grid ,designed by Eskom South Africa,offers a fantastic opportunity for African states to resolve the power crisis.Regional institutions can build grids connecting member states and also implement power generation projects which can enable flexibility (according to the vagaries of demand and supply).Various developmental agencies can be assigned to various regions in order to ensure adequate funding.This should be a counterpart funding arrangement combined with Public Private Partnerships.Prepaid meters enable energy saving (and cost saving) consumption resulting in optimal utilization of energy.
The problem of inadequate qualified personnel can be resolved through a series of "training the trainer" projects.Interns from organizations such as the Technical Aid Corps of Nigeria can train African students,civil servants etc on best practices in the ICT sector.This project should be backed by the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) and the US Peace Corps.Revolving grants and loan guarantees should replace salaries and wages.This will reduce the inflationary pressures on ICT projects and increase their feasibility rates thus attracting more funding.
Funding can be increased through the attachment of financial literacy to computer literacy.Banks will only fund feasible projects by the financially literate( those with business systems).Patrons as investors model (cost as revenue system) can defeat inflation and reduce risks.This will certainly appeal to investors.Angel investors should be encouraged in order to reduce marginal risk.Industrial schools to cooperative education using online jobs and internship,integrated business management and model business planning,shift system and business cloning with a multiple income stream can create this vital class.
Introduction to NEPAD
The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) is a new developmental paradigm that seeks an indigenous solution to Africa's problems.This is meant to be a home grown solution to the myriad of problems hindering Africa's development and can be seen as a localization of the United Nations Organization's Millennium Development Goals.Previous development plans had been seen as foreign solutions which are disconnected from the realities facing African countries.
The journey towards the formulation of the NEPAD began at the G7 summit in Japan in 1999.The Group of industrialized nations needed details in concrete terms what the continent needed to do at the beginning of the century and what kind of support they would require.The outcome was the Millennium African Plan.At Lusaka, during the OAU summit in the year 2001,three African leaders(President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria (Chairman of G77),President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa (President of the Non Aligned Movement) and President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria (Chairman of the OAU)) presented the plan to their colleagues for adoption.The OAU was in transition (into the African Union) and the tenure of the Secretary General was about to end at this time.Soon after,Genoa in Italy offered another opportunity for African leaders who were invited for a presentation of the African initiative by G7+1,namely,US,Canada,Britain,France,Germany,Italy,Japan plus Russia.By then , a programme similar to the one conceived by the three founding African leaders had been introduced simply as the New African Initiative.The three founding fathers joined by Wade of Senegal made a presentation to the leaders of the industrialized world,who then decided that at their next meeting in Kananaskis,Canada,they would also present.Before the planned summit,such as G8 leaders such as Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Jean Chretien of Britain and Canada respectively had been evolving their Governments' African program and also taken time to visit President Obasanjo in Abuja to discuss shared visions about Africa.
For several reasons,the Abuja Summit of African leaders in October 2001 was a defining moment for the partnership.First,President Obasanjo who had been elected as the Chairman of the Implementation Committee hosted the Summit.Second a record number of African leaders attended the summit and took part in its deliberations.Third,the Steering Committee,composed of experts from member countries,had made concrete preparations and held meetings to come up with a detailed programme.Four,the consensus was that the efforts thus far made needed to have a name agreeable to all members as an initiative,as an African efforts and with emphasis on partnership.Thus emerged th name by which the programme is now called "the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD).The Dakar meeting in April 2002 had the objectives of involving the private sector in NEPAD.The meeting also highlighted the partnership with industrialized nations and noted NEPAD was not separate from the African Union.The Kananaskis meeting was held in June 2002 and aimed at fulfilling the undertaking the the Genoa meeting of the G8:to come up with an Action Plan.A pledge of $6 Billion as assistance was made under conditions of trade and market access,debt remission,investment and official development assistance.The Durban Summit in July 2002 saw the transition of the OAU into the African Union.Its also witnessed a crucial update of NEPAD with a report on the Kananaskis.
FUTURE PLANS OF NEPAD
1.To ensure that NEPAD remains an African Initiative
2.Involvement of regional blocs in Africa
3.Involvement of vital sectors in the program.
4.Engaging in practical program and delivering a positive impact.
5.To intensify the effort at popular participation in NEPAD through information channels marketing and contact
6.To strengthen the steering Committee as the technical storehouse of NEPAD in areas such as ICT,infrastructure,poverty reduction ,water,transport,health,agriculture,energy,sanitation,education
7.To ensure that African leaders have the political will to make the necessary sacrifice in areas such as APRM
The journey towards the formulation of the NEPAD began at the G7 summit in Japan in 1999.The Group of industrialized nations needed details in concrete terms what the continent needed to do at the beginning of the century and what kind of support they would require.The outcome was the Millennium African Plan.At Lusaka, during the OAU summit in the year 2001,three African leaders(President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria (Chairman of G77),President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa (President of the Non Aligned Movement) and President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria (Chairman of the OAU)) presented the plan to their colleagues for adoption.The OAU was in transition (into the African Union) and the tenure of the Secretary General was about to end at this time.Soon after,Genoa in Italy offered another opportunity for African leaders who were invited for a presentation of the African initiative by G7+1,namely,US,Canada,Britain,France,Germany,Italy,Japan plus Russia.By then , a programme similar to the one conceived by the three founding African leaders had been introduced simply as the New African Initiative.The three founding fathers joined by Wade of Senegal made a presentation to the leaders of the industrialized world,who then decided that at their next meeting in Kananaskis,Canada,they would also present.Before the planned summit,such as G8 leaders such as Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Jean Chretien of Britain and Canada respectively had been evolving their Governments' African program and also taken time to visit President Obasanjo in Abuja to discuss shared visions about Africa.
For several reasons,the Abuja Summit of African leaders in October 2001 was a defining moment for the partnership.First,President Obasanjo who had been elected as the Chairman of the Implementation Committee hosted the Summit.Second a record number of African leaders attended the summit and took part in its deliberations.Third,the Steering Committee,composed of experts from member countries,had made concrete preparations and held meetings to come up with a detailed programme.Four,the consensus was that the efforts thus far made needed to have a name agreeable to all members as an initiative,as an African efforts and with emphasis on partnership.Thus emerged th name by which the programme is now called "the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD).The Dakar meeting in April 2002 had the objectives of involving the private sector in NEPAD.The meeting also highlighted the partnership with industrialized nations and noted NEPAD was not separate from the African Union.The Kananaskis meeting was held in June 2002 and aimed at fulfilling the undertaking the the Genoa meeting of the G8:to come up with an Action Plan.A pledge of $6 Billion as assistance was made under conditions of trade and market access,debt remission,investment and official development assistance.The Durban Summit in July 2002 saw the transition of the OAU into the African Union.Its also witnessed a crucial update of NEPAD with a report on the Kananaskis.
FUTURE PLANS OF NEPAD
1.To ensure that NEPAD remains an African Initiative
2.Involvement of regional blocs in Africa
3.Involvement of vital sectors in the program.
4.Engaging in practical program and delivering a positive impact.
5.To intensify the effort at popular participation in NEPAD through information channels marketing and contact
6.To strengthen the steering Committee as the technical storehouse of NEPAD in areas such as ICT,infrastructure,poverty reduction ,water,transport,health,agriculture,energy,sanitation,education
7.To ensure that African leaders have the political will to make the necessary sacrifice in areas such as APRM
Saturday, September 5, 2009
ICT for Development
Information and Communications Technology defines the current age,the Information Age.The age of Computers has changed the culture of Billions of people as information (and wealth) travels faster than the speed of light.Yet,despite the numerous opportunities availed us by the internet,poverty ravages Africa and unemployment is widespread even in developed countries during the economic recession.
For any country to survive the harsh economic climate,it must be up to date and use 'out of the box' solutions to the myriad of problems facing it.Problems such as poor infrastructure,inadequate qualified manpower and inadequate funding hinder the efforts at bridging the digital divide.
The poor state of infrastructure hinders the spread of ICT in Africa.The vital infrastructure needed is electricity.The power sector in Africa is grossly inadequate for any meaningful development thus resulting in the closure of factories,loss of jobs,hyperinflation etc.The proposed African electric grid ,designed by Eskom South Africa,offers a fantastic opportunity for African states to resolve the power crisis.Regional institutions can build grids connecting member states and also implement power generation projects which can enable flexibility (according to the vagaries of demand and supply).Various developmental agencies can be assigned to various regions in order to ensure adequate funding.This should be a counterpart funding arrangement combined with Public Private Partnerships.Prepaid meters enable energy saving (and cost saving) consumption resulting in optimal utilization of energy.
The problem of inadequate qualified personnel can be resolved through a series of "training the trainer" projects.Interns from organizations such as the Technical Aid Corps of Nigeria can train African students,civil servants etc on best practices in the ICT sector.This project should be backed by the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) and the US Peace Corps.Revolving grants and loan guarantees should replace salaries and wages.This will reduce the inflationary pressures on ICT projects and increase their feasibility rates thus attracting more funding.
Funding can be increased through the attachment of financial literacy to computer literacy.Banks will only fund feasible projects by the financially literate with crowd funding(counterpart funding).Patrons as investors model (cost as revenue system) can defeat inflation and reduce risks.This will certainly appeal to investors.Angel investors should be encouraged in order to reduce marginal risk.Industrial schools to cooperative education using online jobs and internship,integrated business management and model business planning,shift system and business cloning with a multiple income stream can create this vital class.
For any country to survive the harsh economic climate,it must be up to date and use 'out of the box' solutions to the myriad of problems facing it.Problems such as poor infrastructure,inadequate qualified manpower and inadequate funding hinder the efforts at bridging the digital divide.
The poor state of infrastructure hinders the spread of ICT in Africa.The vital infrastructure needed is electricity.The power sector in Africa is grossly inadequate for any meaningful development thus resulting in the closure of factories,loss of jobs,hyperinflation etc.The proposed African electric grid ,designed by Eskom South Africa,offers a fantastic opportunity for African states to resolve the power crisis.Regional institutions can build grids connecting member states and also implement power generation projects which can enable flexibility (according to the vagaries of demand and supply).Various developmental agencies can be assigned to various regions in order to ensure adequate funding.This should be a counterpart funding arrangement combined with Public Private Partnerships.Prepaid meters enable energy saving (and cost saving) consumption resulting in optimal utilization of energy.
The problem of inadequate qualified personnel can be resolved through a series of "training the trainer" projects.Interns from organizations such as the Technical Aid Corps of Nigeria can train African students,civil servants etc on best practices in the ICT sector.This project should be backed by the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) and the US Peace Corps.Revolving grants and loan guarantees should replace salaries and wages.This will reduce the inflationary pressures on ICT projects and increase their feasibility rates thus attracting more funding.
Funding can be increased through the attachment of financial literacy to computer literacy.Banks will only fund feasible projects by the financially literate with crowd funding(counterpart funding).Patrons as investors model (cost as revenue system) can defeat inflation and reduce risks.This will certainly appeal to investors.Angel investors should be encouraged in order to reduce marginal risk.Industrial schools to cooperative education using online jobs and internship,integrated business management and model business planning,shift system and business cloning with a multiple income stream can create this vital class.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Economic Integration and Development
Regional groupings are the key organizations involved in the drive for African development.Such organizations as the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Southern African Development Commission (SADC)provide enormous opportunities for growth and development which are currently grossly underexploited.Hence African states are in a poor position on the negotiating table of International trade forum.
This situation can and must be reversed if Africa is to meet the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations Organization (UNO) and the New partnership for African Development (NEPAD).The solutions to the doldrums are:
1.Counter part funding,pooling and IMF power (foreign funding),risk management:With revolving grants providing counterpart funding for the most financially feasible projects,more developmental funding can be attracted thereby reducing further still the marginal risk and cost of raising funds for development.Regional groups must also pool together political resources at international bodies such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group.This could enable African states some measure of control over the allocation of funds by these organizations' for developmental projects all over the globe.
2.Comparative advantage exchanges as a tool for boosting inter regional trade:Multilateral agreements should be followed by bilateral agreements:multilateral agreements tend to lump together the needs and aspirations of states with different histories,cleavages etc.The internalization of multilateral economic agreements should not be the final step:various states with regional grouping should also exchange bilateral agreements which would boost the comparative advantage of participating countries.When this is done,exports receive a boost while new industries can be set up given the availability of inputs
3. Manpower development.The Technical Aid Corps of Nigeria for instance,is a great opportunity for African states to share information.We live in an information wherein information leads to wealth.The Corps should be in the form of an internship as a follow up to the National Youth Service Corps.Interns get access to credit instead of credit and the best performances get grants and special employment opportunities,scholarships.The US Peace Corps, which hitherto has no access to Africa (due to fear of conflicts and disease),can provide e learning and correspondence courses as well as logistic support which could improve funding opportunities.This will halt the spate of illegal immigrations which strain resources of many developed countries and also check the incessant crises over scarce resources
4.Mutual security:safety is a key ingredient of development.Regional groupings must assist one another to check trans border crimes and also to protect democracy using the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).The African Customs Union should design an information management system that would be backed by the International Police.This will also be backed by a system of checks and balances in order to block compromise.Regional groupings should also have military arms such as the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG)which should be backed by African Command(AFRICOM).These military arm should defend democracy and assist in checking heavy duty trans border crimes.
This situation can and must be reversed if Africa is to meet the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations Organization (UNO) and the New partnership for African Development (NEPAD).The solutions to the doldrums are:
1.Counter part funding,pooling and IMF power (foreign funding),risk management:With revolving grants providing counterpart funding for the most financially feasible projects,more developmental funding can be attracted thereby reducing further still the marginal risk and cost of raising funds for development.Regional groups must also pool together political resources at international bodies such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group.This could enable African states some measure of control over the allocation of funds by these organizations' for developmental projects all over the globe.
2.Comparative advantage exchanges as a tool for boosting inter regional trade:Multilateral agreements should be followed by bilateral agreements:multilateral agreements tend to lump together the needs and aspirations of states with different histories,cleavages etc.The internalization of multilateral economic agreements should not be the final step:various states with regional grouping should also exchange bilateral agreements which would boost the comparative advantage of participating countries.When this is done,exports receive a boost while new industries can be set up given the availability of inputs
3. Manpower development.The Technical Aid Corps of Nigeria for instance,is a great opportunity for African states to share information.We live in an information wherein information leads to wealth.The Corps should be in the form of an internship as a follow up to the National Youth Service Corps.Interns get access to credit instead of credit and the best performances get grants and special employment opportunities,scholarships.The US Peace Corps, which hitherto has no access to Africa (due to fear of conflicts and disease),can provide e learning and correspondence courses as well as logistic support which could improve funding opportunities.This will halt the spate of illegal immigrations which strain resources of many developed countries and also check the incessant crises over scarce resources
4.Mutual security:safety is a key ingredient of development.Regional groupings must assist one another to check trans border crimes and also to protect democracy using the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).The African Customs Union should design an information management system that would be backed by the International Police.This will also be backed by a system of checks and balances in order to block compromise.Regional groupings should also have military arms such as the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG)which should be backed by African Command(AFRICOM).These military arm should defend democracy and assist in checking heavy duty trans border crimes.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
New Partnership for African Development
The New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) is an African blueprint for development produced in 2001 by the founding fathers: Presidents of Nigeria (President Olusegun Obasanjo, South Africa (President Thabo Mbeki), Senegal (President Abdoulaye Wade) and Algeria (President Abdelaziz Bouteflika).
The NEPAD blueprint was deemed necessary because of the various problems and developmental challenges facing the African Continent; earning it the appellation, "the Dark Continent".
Years after colonialism retreated to its European Homeland, the African continent continues to battle seemingly irresolvable challenges such as incessant conflicts, sit tight and corrupt rulers oppressing a massively poor and illiterate people, electoral fraud and electoral violence etc. Policies where made on paper but not in the field; while the people starve, the elite get fat. Politics was played by rent seeking elite and became a zero sum game: "the winner takes all" kind of politics. This is seen in recent elections in Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Cote d'Ivoire and Congo Democratic Republic etc.
Politics is still viewed by the elites and their followers (electorate) as a war(over scarce resources). Thus, with the exit of colonialism, a new form of oppression took its place: oppression by the indigenous elites. This quickly disenchanted the masses and military coup plotters quickly overthrew the false Nationalists in revolutionary style and with popular support. Military rule, unfortunately for most Africans, never freed the Masses; it merely put oppression in Military uniform as Military governments generally were as corrupt as their civilian counterparts or even more so. Hence, Africa remains in a continuous state of flux and sociopolitical conflict that investors (both local and foreign) easily distrust. This is the reason why development appears impossible and out of reach.
All hope is not lost, however, given that once there is life, there is hope. This collective hope is currently embodied in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the United Nations Organization (UNO) .This projects a deadline (the year 2015) for the attainment of development based on eight areas of concentration:
1. Eradicating extreme hunger and poverty.
2. Achieving universal primary education.
3. Reduction of child mortality.
4. Improved maternal health.
5. Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
6. Ensuring environmental sustainability.
7. Developing a global partnership for development
8. Promoting gender equality and empowering women.
The NEPAD ought to be a localization of the MDGs but few countries have provided details of how implementation is to be carried out.So, some seven (7) years since NEPAD's inauguration, investors are yet to know what is expected of them, what the host Governments have to offer and when such projects should be in the implementation schedule or timeline.This causes a loss of confidence in the programme and is a great hindrance to its actualization
Gender empowerment is the key to developing because it is an established fact that "whoever develops the woman, develops a nation".Gender empowerment simply means social, economic and political development of the woman. This is a human right of the woman and is at the heart of the Millennium Development Goals because all other goals rely chiefly on the achievement of gender empowerment. This is explained later on in this article.
The development process usually starts from childhood and is attained in adulthood. Without good primary education, there can be no parity of representation in parliaments or in the workplace .This means that education is the key to women liberation. Current figures show success in developed countries and failures in underdeveloped countries.This has some correlation with the standard of education and its availability in an affordable scale. This means that underdeveloped countries must take serious commitments in the educational sector and developed countries must consolidate on gains made.
Women cooperatives should be encouraged to open industrial schools with easy access to microfinance for girls and women. Businesses such as online jobs (using recycled computers and other ICT), agriculture and cottage industry should form a multiple stream of income which enables the diversification of the economy and the creation of numerous jobs. This should involve a shift system with time management, in order to maximize asset utilization. This business model can also be backed by tax cuts, bonds and grants from Governments, Faith based organizations, corporate bodies and Non Governmental organizations and should concentrate chiefly on rural based women: given that a majority of African women live in the rural areas. The project should also extend to the tertiary level of education: using cooperative education (working and schooling at the same time). This provides extra funds that enable schools and universities provide free education while increasing the standard of education by encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit. The Information Communication Technology benefits must be leveraged optimally. For example, mobile banking can penetrate rural areas easier than real bank branches. Thus, mobile banking and ecommerce should be encouraged in rural areas with tax rebates to participating banks.
The effect of developing the educational system is the reduction of extreme poverty (through industrial revolution) and the resultant conflict over scarce resources. This enables capacity building, the emergence of true democratic leadership and global partnership. Also, by achieving universal primary education, we eradicate extreme hunger and poverty with manpower development based on the grassroots' blueprint. This positively affects resource management thereby preventing conflicts. With this economic empowerment of women, improved maternal health is attained and there is a reduction of child mortality while combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases and ensuring environmental sustainability. The empowerment of women should therefore be paramount in the design of development programs like NEPAD. Policy makers must recognize and utilize this pattern if development is to be achieved: obviously, empowered women will not engage in prostitution, hard drug abuse (HIV/AIDS) and drug abuse or leave their environment unkempt (malaria resistance and other diseases). Empowered women would not patronize quacks and will feed themselves and their children adequately (maternal and child healthcare).
So, the simple solution to Africa's woes would be developing the women in order to develop the country (or continent). The success of this project depends to a large extent on global partnership: if women groups abroad also have access to tax free funds, this can provide funds for African development while reducing greed and avarice currently wreaking the family structures and values of the Western world. This is mutually beneficial; given that such funds develop technology capabilities that reduce trade deficits using new markets development strategy. This partnership can also back up the counterterrorism efforts of the African High Command (AFRICOM) by building alliances between Muslims and Christians. This can trace the enemies' path from Egypt to its final destination:Iraq.
Finally, encouraging self help projects and volunteering amongst the womenfolk is the only way to ensure their freedom. It is better to teach them fishing than to catch them one. Self respect and actualization could lead to less frustration and conflicts. This could reorient the people of a continent filled with hatred for their brothers and sisters and we can become a continent of peace by the grace of God.
The NEPAD blueprint was deemed necessary because of the various problems and developmental challenges facing the African Continent; earning it the appellation, "the Dark Continent".
Years after colonialism retreated to its European Homeland, the African continent continues to battle seemingly irresolvable challenges such as incessant conflicts, sit tight and corrupt rulers oppressing a massively poor and illiterate people, electoral fraud and electoral violence etc. Policies where made on paper but not in the field; while the people starve, the elite get fat. Politics was played by rent seeking elite and became a zero sum game: "the winner takes all" kind of politics. This is seen in recent elections in Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Cote d'Ivoire and Congo Democratic Republic etc.
Politics is still viewed by the elites and their followers (electorate) as a war(over scarce resources). Thus, with the exit of colonialism, a new form of oppression took its place: oppression by the indigenous elites. This quickly disenchanted the masses and military coup plotters quickly overthrew the false Nationalists in revolutionary style and with popular support. Military rule, unfortunately for most Africans, never freed the Masses; it merely put oppression in Military uniform as Military governments generally were as corrupt as their civilian counterparts or even more so. Hence, Africa remains in a continuous state of flux and sociopolitical conflict that investors (both local and foreign) easily distrust. This is the reason why development appears impossible and out of reach.
All hope is not lost, however, given that once there is life, there is hope. This collective hope is currently embodied in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the United Nations Organization (UNO) .This projects a deadline (the year 2015) for the attainment of development based on eight areas of concentration:
1. Eradicating extreme hunger and poverty.
2. Achieving universal primary education.
3. Reduction of child mortality.
4. Improved maternal health.
5. Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
6. Ensuring environmental sustainability.
7. Developing a global partnership for development
8. Promoting gender equality and empowering women.
The NEPAD ought to be a localization of the MDGs but few countries have provided details of how implementation is to be carried out.So, some seven (7) years since NEPAD's inauguration, investors are yet to know what is expected of them, what the host Governments have to offer and when such projects should be in the implementation schedule or timeline.This causes a loss of confidence in the programme and is a great hindrance to its actualization
Gender empowerment is the key to developing because it is an established fact that "whoever develops the woman, develops a nation".Gender empowerment simply means social, economic and political development of the woman. This is a human right of the woman and is at the heart of the Millennium Development Goals because all other goals rely chiefly on the achievement of gender empowerment. This is explained later on in this article.
The development process usually starts from childhood and is attained in adulthood. Without good primary education, there can be no parity of representation in parliaments or in the workplace .This means that education is the key to women liberation. Current figures show success in developed countries and failures in underdeveloped countries.This has some correlation with the standard of education and its availability in an affordable scale. This means that underdeveloped countries must take serious commitments in the educational sector and developed countries must consolidate on gains made.
Women cooperatives should be encouraged to open industrial schools with easy access to microfinance for girls and women. Businesses such as online jobs (using recycled computers and other ICT), agriculture and cottage industry should form a multiple stream of income which enables the diversification of the economy and the creation of numerous jobs. This should involve a shift system with time management, in order to maximize asset utilization. This business model can also be backed by tax cuts, bonds and grants from Governments, Faith based organizations, corporate bodies and Non Governmental organizations and should concentrate chiefly on rural based women: given that a majority of African women live in the rural areas. The project should also extend to the tertiary level of education: using cooperative education (working and schooling at the same time). This provides extra funds that enable schools and universities provide free education while increasing the standard of education by encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit. The Information Communication Technology benefits must be leveraged optimally. For example, mobile banking can penetrate rural areas easier than real bank branches. Thus, mobile banking and ecommerce should be encouraged in rural areas with tax rebates to participating banks.
The effect of developing the educational system is the reduction of extreme poverty (through industrial revolution) and the resultant conflict over scarce resources. This enables capacity building, the emergence of true democratic leadership and global partnership. Also, by achieving universal primary education, we eradicate extreme hunger and poverty with manpower development based on the grassroots' blueprint. This positively affects resource management thereby preventing conflicts. With this economic empowerment of women, improved maternal health is attained and there is a reduction of child mortality while combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases and ensuring environmental sustainability. The empowerment of women should therefore be paramount in the design of development programs like NEPAD. Policy makers must recognize and utilize this pattern if development is to be achieved: obviously, empowered women will not engage in prostitution, hard drug abuse (HIV/AIDS) and drug abuse or leave their environment unkempt (malaria resistance and other diseases). Empowered women would not patronize quacks and will feed themselves and their children adequately (maternal and child healthcare).
So, the simple solution to Africa's woes would be developing the women in order to develop the country (or continent). The success of this project depends to a large extent on global partnership: if women groups abroad also have access to tax free funds, this can provide funds for African development while reducing greed and avarice currently wreaking the family structures and values of the Western world. This is mutually beneficial; given that such funds develop technology capabilities that reduce trade deficits using new markets development strategy. This partnership can also back up the counterterrorism efforts of the African High Command (AFRICOM) by building alliances between Muslims and Christians. This can trace the enemies' path from Egypt to its final destination:Iraq.
Finally, encouraging self help projects and volunteering amongst the womenfolk is the only way to ensure their freedom. It is better to teach them fishing than to catch them one. Self respect and actualization could lead to less frustration and conflicts. This could reorient the people of a continent filled with hatred for their brothers and sisters and we can become a continent of peace by the grace of God.
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