African Renaissance Volume 7 Number 2, 2010 (lead theme: Poverty in Africa)
About This Edition
ISSN : 1744-2532 (Print) 2516-5305 (Online)
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In Volume 7 Number 1, of the journal, we discussed US-Africa relations under Barrack Obama. We posed and sought answers to the question of whether there has been any fundamental change in US policy towards Africa under Obama’s presidency.
In this issue we focus on poverty in Africa, its ramifications and the various remedial measures in the continent. In Ghana where it is estimated that some 40% of the population are poor, John Gasu argues that the actors involved in poverty reduction programmes are critical to the expected outcomes. He points out the contradiction in the case of the Ghanaian state, which bears the responsibility for the social and economic malaise associated with poverty and yet is restrained by the dominant neo-liberal order from embarking on direct economic activity of its own to remedy the situation.
Ezeibe Christian Chukwuebuka discusses the political economy of poverty and poverty alleviation programmes in Nigeria between 1999 and 2009, arguing that bad governance “breeds failed state and failed state in turn sustains bad governance which reproduces poverty.” He calls for an overhaul of the various poverty alleviation programmes in Nigeria with a view to integrating the poor in the process of their making and implementation. Mgbemena Emilia Mukaosolu focuses on the linkage between a prudent and more effective state presence and poverty reduction and posits that undemocratic governance contributes to poverty in the continent. She contends that good governance entails fighting corruption to ensure prudent fiscal and monetary management that will in turn improve the standard of living of the citizens. Akiti Glory Alamu examines poverty in Nigeria using a Marxist Class theory, arguing that the military junta contributed more to the present level of poverty in the country by siphoning the riches of the nation into their personal coffers without considering the welfare of the masses they purportedly govern. Patrick Iroegbu examines the dynamics of poverty as culture in an African world, noting that a culture of poverty is seen to flourish in societies that exhibit, among others, a high rate of unemployment and underemployment, which in turn breed “self-perpetuating and self-defeating cultural approaches to gaining emancipation.”
Apart from the articles on the main theme, we also have two important articles: Amadu Jacky Kaba discusses the factors he argues are responsible for the ‘unity between African Americans and European American’, arguing that “while African and European Americans have inherited unity from their ancestors, there will always be periods of tensions because even within family households there are tensions among members as they attempt to share or distribute their resources.” Melvin P. Foote discusses strategies for ensuring that African voices on climate change are heard, noting that throughout the continent “there is growing recognition among Africans that their region needs to chart its own course in protecting itself against the threat of environmental and economic degradation.”