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Wednesday, November 12, 2003
Headlines
Corruption in Nigeria: A New Paradigm for Effective Control. There are many unresolved problems in Nigeria, but the issue of the upsurge of corruption is troubling. And the damages it has done to the polity are astronomical, explains Victor Dike
African Countries Should Consider Basic Income Grants (BIG) For Their Citizens. African governments should consider Basic Income Grants (BIG) for their citizens as a way of dealing with poverty and stimulating economic development, argues Jackson Kariuki.
The State of Education in Nigeria and the health of the nation. The rehabilitation of the educational sector should be treated as a public health issue says Victor Dike because the survival of Nigeria as a viable society will depend on the health of her educational institutions, and how well the professors and support staff are treated.
Assessing the future of Nigeria’s economy: ignored threats from the global climate change debacle. Global climate change is a reality that is unlikely to go away. Nigeria cannot afford to continue ignoring the potential negative impact on its oil-based economy. It should begin to take steps to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and endeavour to diversify its economy away from dependence on fossil fuels, in both production and consumption, argues Jekwu Ikeme.
A New African Initiative: Merger of the Millennium Partnership for the African Recovery Programme (MAP) and Omega Plan is the new master plan agreed by African leaders in July 2001 to eradicate poverty and place African nations on the path to sustainable growth and development within the context of globalisation.
The future lost: The economic and social consequences of child abuse in Africa. Child abuse is rampant in Africa. This growing oppression, from domestic servitude to outright slavery, is not only immoral explains Debbie Ariyo, but it is also undermining the continent's capacity to achieve economic growth and international competitiveness.
The black (parallel) exchange market should be banned in Africa: Attempts by African governments to close the gap between official and parallel foreign exchange markets through market forces have almost invariably led to further cycles of parallel market depreciations followed by more official exchange devaluations. Mobolaji E. Aluko argues that outright ban of the black market is the most effective way to save Africa's currencies from the cycle of destabilizing devaluation.
Aids in Nigeria: the ticking time bomb: Nigeria is sitting on a ticking AIDS time bomb. Officially, the rate of HIV infection in Nigeria is about 5.4 percent, just slightly above the 5 percent trigger zone of AIDS Armageddon in any country. In reality, the estimated 3 million Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS are bigger than the population of many African nations.
Deconstructing the concept of human rights in Africa: While the promotion of human rights is important everywhere in the world, emphasis should also be given the concept of human responsibility. Kenneth Mwenda argues that in less individualistic societies, such as those in Africa and Asia, the promotion of social and individual responsibilities - for both the state and the individual - can help bring about a social order that may provide appropriate moral and ethical incentives necessary for social development.
HIV/AIDS in Africa - The Gains of the Durban Conference: The recent International HIV/AIDS conference in Durban had a big impact on Africa where the Aids crisis is threatening the future of the continent. Melvin Foote and Chinua Akukwe highlight ten major gains of the meeting.
Alleviating Poverty in Nigeria: Despite enduring mass poverty in Nigeria, the attempts of successive governments to alleviate poverty have failed. Anthony Maduagwu contends that the much-heralded new anti-poverty programme of the present administration appears to be heading for the same fate, due to continued lack of transparency, inadequate planning, grassroots alienation and other fundamental problems that have hampered development in Africa's most populous nation.
HIV/AIDS in Africa: Less talk and more action: The HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa is the most devastating disaster to befall the continent. The ultimate responsibility for managing and eventually conquering this menace that threatens to destroy the social and economic sinews of African societies lie with Africans, argues Dr. Chinua Akukwe
WTO Chief means well for Africa: Africa’s problem is the lack of supply capacity to produce products and services that can sell abroad. Market access and technical assistance without action on productive capacity are not enough, writes K. Acngashi.
Kenya - A nation in need of change: The future of Kenya is in a precarious balance, writes Michael Mundia Kamau. There is little consolation in the anticipated resumption of donor funding. The country's problems go beyond government and are about a people with no direction and no will to change.
Facing up to reality in the 21st century: Globalisation can help African countries overcome many of the obstacles currently hindering their political, social and economic progress, argues Tunde Obadina. The alternative to globalisation would be disastrous for the poor who are shut out of modernity but wish to get in.
The growth and prospect for venture capital activities in Nigeria: Venture capital has been behind the development of numerous high growth high technology firms in Europe, America and Asia. Nigeria and other African countries seeking real time economic growth to alleviate poverty and create jobs and prosperity for their people can also benefit from this form of investment, writes Debbie Ariyo.
ITC: A dwarf Africa should support: The International Trade Centre (ITC) is working with Africa to set up effective national trade promotion programmes for expanding exports and improving import operations of enterprises. Africa needs is to build national capacity for trade to boost exports and job creation. To this end it should support the ITC's efforts, writes Beatrice Chisunkah.
Getting a measure of African poverty: Africa is plainly a continent of extreme poverty. But do commonly used indicators of economic growth accurately reflect the levels of output of African societies? Tunde Obadina argues that conventional methods of calculating national output tend to overstate Africa's poverty, by ignoring the activities of large sections of its peoples.
Promoting Socially Responsible Finance, Trade and Investment: Too often economic planners do not take due account of the way people actually live when formulating policies. L. Muthoni Wanyeki argues that women need culturally relevant choices of income generating skills. We need to make clearer links between the ways in which the majority of people live and the national/international framework whicht limit our choices about how to live
Growth, Productivity & other Modern day Sound bites in the search for what's best for Nigeria: Low productivity is a a major cause of economic under-achievement in Nigeria that needs to be tackled. Higher productivity growth translates to higher living standards and expanded economic capacity, spurring further growth writesOlu Oni. He suggest ways that Nigeria can get more out of its human and material resources.
Nigerian Society at the dawn of the 21st century: Reward Systems, Workers Morale, and Productivity: A poor reward system and harsh economic environment have undermined workers' morale and productivity in Nigeria. Victor Dike explores the problem and suggest ways that workers can be better motivated to improve their productivity.
Rethinking Liberalisation and Reshaping the WTO: The multilateral trade system faces a crisis and a crossroad. Martin Khor re-examines what approach developing countries should take towards integration of the world economy, and to liberalisation of trade, finance and investment.
Mozambique's Prevention Wing of the Military: End Civil War, Improve the Economy:Mozambique has moved from being a war-torn country to one of Africa's fastest growing economy. David and Lee Leffler argues that the implementation of a novel transcendental meditation programme in the nation's military helped bring about the transformation.
Targeting Development Programs in Africa: Analysis of Policy Requirements:The targeting of development programmes has an important role to play in linking economic growth and human development. But targeting has been controversial in Africa, especially inmulti-ethnic and diverse societies. Mohamed Damilola Olajide suggest ways to make targeting policy more effective in Africa.
Sustainable Development, Globalisation and Africa: Plugging the holesThe major challenge facing African technocrats and policy makers today is how to strike the right balance between the demands of sustainable development and the goals of globalisation, writes Jekwu Ikeme. He recommends seven policy measures with which African nations can protect themselves from the pangs of unsustainability while benefiting from the promises of globalisation.
DEVELOPING A KNOWLEDGE-DRIVEN NIGERIAN ECONOMY: AN ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK FOR THE 21ST CENTURY: Most of Nigeria’s wealth and power comes from the control of physical assets - land, oil, iron and steel, etc. But in the 21st century, this cannot continue to happen, arguesDebbie Ariyo. The main source of value and competitive advantage in the new economy is human and intellectual capital. With a population of 120 million people, Nigeria, in theory has the capacity to make a successful transition into a truly knowledge driven economy, she explains
Export Sector Liberalization and Forward Markets, Managing Uncertainty During Policy Transitions:Since the early 1980s the World Bank has promoted pricing and marketing reform of the cash crop sector in African countries. Jason A. Lovelace argues that although such reforms are often justified on the basis of higher producer prices post-reform, price liberalization and marketing reform have also been associated with the temporary collapse of forward markets that are useful to producers. He suggests ways to maintain these markets during the transition
The Economic Causes and Consequences of Civil Wars and Unrest in Africa: Africa's political stability has deteriorated, with 20 percent of Sub-Saharan Africa's population affected by civil war today. K. Y. Amoako, Executive Secretary of Economic Commission for Africa, discusses the causes of conflict, particularly its linkages with poverty; the economic consequences of war; and the imperatives for coordinated and holistic action for post-conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction.
THE UNRESOLVED ISSUE OF THE KENYAN FREEDOM MOVEMENT: Was the Mau Mau a national movement intended for the removal of colonial rule and the creation of a free and just nation, or was it an organisation which the Kikuyu used to gain power for their own selfish ends?, ask Michael Mundia Kamau
Leadership, Politics and Social Change: Nigeria and the Struggle for Survival Nigeria's short life has been packed with successions of social changes. There has been the shift from regions to states, from farms to cities, from agriculture to industries, and now power shift from the north to the south. These changes have not been for the benefit of the common man, only the rich and powerful have gained, writes Victor Dike
KENYA vs. KENYA : THE CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW DEBATE: Kenya needs is a review in the constitution of thought, not a constitutional review, argues Michael Mundia Kamau. The priority should be how to combat the debilitating ills of corruption, poverty, unemployment, hunger, disease, crime, and drug abuse. If there is to be a public referendum, then it should be on how to combat these ills, and how to create wealth for the majority.
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