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Lead Papers
Madeleine dit qu'il est tentant d'affirmer sans risque aucun d'etre dementi que quelque soit l'angle sous lequel on veut aborder ce concept de nos jours, pour l'Afrique et pour les africains, la notion semble paradoxale dans la mesure ou elle conjugue deux idees contradictoires: d'un cote, celle du developpement, et de l'autre, celle de durabilite.L'inoperationnalite operante et la sterilite criarde du concept sur le terrain, laisse aujourdh'ui, plus d'un sceptique et dubitatif sur sa finalite. Face a l'urgence de la situation, et au regard des enjeux incommensurables que revet l'avenir et le devenir des generations futures et de nos societes traditionnelles et/ou modernes, il devient, chaque jour, de plus en plus evident que les populations beneficiaires de cette donne tournent resolument le dos au necessaire pour faire a l'utile. Au seuil de ce "mytique" millenaire naissant, la reorientation de la conceptualisation a l'instrumentalisation du concept de developpemnt durable doit etre un defi prioritaire a relever.
Poverty exists everywhere, and in it takes dramatic forms in developing countries where governments have a hard time in coping with the basic needs and demands of their populations. The distribution of wealth around the world demands more compassionate approaches to bridging the continuously widening gap between the rich and the poor. Understanding the economic and social development of a balance world is a priority of The Global Community organization. The eradication of poverty in the world is a priority and our responsibility. The interaction of poor health, poverty and environmental deterioration has been measured and was found to have a direct relationship with the stage of economic and social development of a country. Policies to combat poverty should not damage the environment. Environmental policies should not create poverty. This requires:
Several developing countries are ruled by socio-economic and political structures that are oppressive and it is the inherently vulnerable and dependent groups that are at a higher risk of neglect and abuse. There has to be an organized NGO sector and active human-rights groups in such societies in order to protect and defend the oppressed people. An indicator measures the amount of foreign aid contributed by the government, industry and individuals. This include donations of money, expertise, food, books, clothing and other commodities to international charities, governments in developing nations, and specific relief efforts.
Message from Niyi Oyewole
niyioyewole@yahoo.com Subject: Congress summary and recommendation Participants:
Niyi Oyewole: Eco-Partner Festus Megbwe: Biographical Resource Society Sola Olanipekun: Groundwork Initiative Nig. Mike Atisele : Eco-Partner Evelyn Atisele : Eco-Partner Adebiyi Adebusuyi: Public Joke Kujembola: Eco-Partner Mr. O. Oyegoke: Manager, UNDP-Assisted Project, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Lagos.Nigeria Comments and/or recommendations Poverty was described as the socio-economic condition of an individual, when certain indices are not available the indices are referred to as the basic needs of life vis; food, clothing and shelter. It should however be noted that it is not enough to just have this items available, a man only lives above poverty level if and only if these needs are adequately met, not just barely met. Poverty has been a good yardstick for measuring development. In most developing countries of the world, the basic needs of life are tolerably met. It is worth-noting however that even in the so-called developed world we could see very clear cases of pockets of impoverished citizens living among the so-called ‘comfortable’ ones. IT IS AN IMPOSSIBILITY TO ERADICATE POVERTY, IT CAN ONLY BE REDUCED. Several countries of the world have made efforts at eradicating poverty , but they have only succeeded in reduction or alleviation. In developing countries like Nigeria, approach towards poverty alleviation has been through the development of informal sectors. The concept of informal sector has been one of the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) most distinctive contributions towards development. * In a positive way, informal sector is a provider of employment and income to millions of people who would otherwise lack the means of survival. * It can be viewed more negatively as a whole segment of society which escapes regulation and protection. * It can be romanticized as a breeding ground for enterpreneurship which could flourish if only it were not encumbered with a system of unnecessary regulations and bureaucracy. * It can be condemned as a vast area of backwardness, poverty, in-sanitary conditions, hazardous work, illegality, and open use of child labor or it can simply be ignored . The existence of informal sector depends on its ability to deliver goods and services at lower prices or smaller quantities than would otherwise not be available at all. Informal sector also constitutes a huge ‘labor reserve’ on which the formal sector can draw labor in time of expansion, or to which labor can be returned in times of contraction. In many of the developing countries like Nigeria, informal sectors are undertaken as secondary activities by formal sector workers to supplement their meager incomes. In addition to all these perceived opportunities is the economic down turn which affected the big industrial outfits in the country, which has led to a re-arrangement of the economic activities and the consequent factory closures and retrenchment that has to be effected. The mass of the people affected in this wise has to join the legion of people that are active in the informal sector . There is no doubt that this section is highly organized because of its high income generating capacity which presently is sustaining the urban population. Efforts to enhance the performance in informal sector * Establishment and strengthening business associations. * Institutional capacity building for enhanced service delivery in the informal sector. * Improving the business and technical skills of informal sector groups. * Development of credit delivery system backed up with a good framework that avoids default. Development of informal sector offers the shortest time frame at positively
affecting the people especially in a country like Nigeria and its urban centers
where almost everywhere informal sector activity abound. It is therefore
recommended that Government must make efforts at creating new lines of
support for the growth of this sector by making the desired level of financial
intervention and support.
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