Research has shown that poverty is a man-made phenomenon. Historical interventions to redress its rampant manifestation, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, very much remain a serial flaw of misplacements in the hands of wrong architects and premised on the unholy misconception that aid will lead to both poverty alleviation and economic development of Africa.
Looking at the historical landscape of the poverty debate in Sub-Saharan Africa, one cannot help but notice the silence or scarce mention of entrepreneurship as the engine for growth in the alleviation of extreme poverty. Therefore the Africa Redemption International Conference (ARIC) was conceived from the premise of a long and hard look at the serial and regrettable failures of the three salient beaten-trek interventions of Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPS), Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRS) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Earlier interventions focused more on economic growth and paid little attention to social development. With the advent of MDGs, attention somewhat shifted towards resulting in poverty being reduced by more than half between 1990 and 2015. Critical success factors including infrastructure development, domestic resource mobilization, and institutional capacity building, among others, have largely been overlooked by most of these instruments. The architecture of poverty reduction strategies has, for far too long, been the work of foreign agents with little, if any, of Africans themselves.
It is generally on this very basis that the ARIC Conference was convened with the objectives to:
a. Bring academics, practitioners and policy-makers into one unique place to deliberate on issues that keep Africa behind any other parts of the world in emerging out of poverty.
b. Allow policymakers to chart a way forward and share that with the broader body of light-minded Africans who want to seriously take the country of scourges of poverty
c. Allow academics to analyze, articulate and recommend what they perceive Africa needs to do in order to overcome its stagnation that has earned its Mantra of a Dark Continent.
d. Invite development activist in the world and Africa, in particular, to share their isolated experiences with a broader community of stakeholders willing to amplify their good practice efforts to other parts of Africa where they are needed most.
e. Showcase domestic innovators of all sorts
Table of Contents
1. Chapter One: Introduction and Background
1.1 Conference Objectives
1.2 A Brief Perspective on Poverty and Development
1.3 Organization of the book
2. Chapter Two: Faith-Based Non-Governmental Organizations (FBNGOs) and Development in South Africa
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Faith‐based (Development) Organisations
2.3 Estimating the impact of Islamic NGOs on reducing poverty
2.4 Conclusions, lessons learnt and future research agenda
2.5 References
3. Chapter Three: Expanding the Prospect of Rural Prosperity in Nigeria: The Place of Education
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Nigeria’s Policy Plan for Prosperity
3.3 Prosperity: Meaning and Essence
3.4 Exploring the Tool for Widening the Frontiers of Rural Prosperity: How Relevant is Education
3.5 Conclusion
3.6 Reference:
4. Chapter Four: Transforming Despondent Youth and Would-Be Criminals into Prospective Entrepreneurs
4.1 Purpose:
4.2 Context:
4.3 Background Of The Constituency:
4.4 Literature Review:
4.5 Conclusion:
4.6 References:
5. Chapter Five: Community Share Ownership Trust (CSOT) Vehicle for Broad-based empowerment and eradication of rural poverty in Zimbabwe: Political Rhetoric or reality
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Conceptual Framework
5.3 Research Methods
5.4 Results and Discussions
5.5 Conclusion and recommendations
5.6 References
6. Chapter Six: Sustainable Rural Development and the Question of Social Capital in Nigeria
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Sustainable Rural Development: Exploring the Underlying Paradigm
6.3 Conclusion
6.4 References:
7. Chapter Seven: Conclusions and Recommendations
Research Objectives and Themes
The work explores strategies for poverty eradication in Africa, shifting from traditional aid-dependency models to domestic wealth creation through education, entrepreneurship, and community-based empowerment. Its central research question investigates how shifting mindsets and fostering local innovations can sustainably transform rural communities from poverty to prosperity.
- The impact of faith-based organizations on social service delivery and poverty reduction.
- The role of education as a tool for rural prosperity and agricultural transformation.
- Methods to transform youth despondency into entrepreneurial engagement through psycho-dynamic interventions.
- Governance and infrastructure challenges in community-based land redistribution models.
- The intersection of social capital, rural development, and sustainable local governance.
Excerpts from the Book
1.1 Introduction
The marginalization of religion in the development policy, practice and research has left a scholarly gap in our understanding of the nexus between religion and development (Dugbazah, 2009). Fortunately, over the past two decades, the study of religious organizations and their contribution to the broader development agenda have slowly become an area of academic pursuit (Abiola, n.d.; Clarke, 2006; Gibson and Tidwell Jr, 2013; Makuwira, 2014). It is becoming increasingly clear in many African societies that development cannot be removed from faith, as the latter is part of most Africans’ identity. Furthermore, religious activities affect a country's social and economic development and the ability of government institutions to provide basic social services to their citizenry (Acemoglu and Robinson, 2012). While governments try to reconfigure their roles amid increasing pressures for financial austerity, faith-based communities have continued to make significant inroads in filling the void left by the actions of such governments (Merz, 2012). As a result, the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) sector has become increasingly visible in providing basic social services.
Historically, secular and faith-based NGOs have always actively engaged in humanitarian and relief activities. This was particularly the case in the World War era when the post-war reconstruction efforts of the war-ravaged Europe spilt over to other parts of the world in the name of development (Korten, 1990). However, much research emphasis was placed on the important contribution that the mainstream Christian NGOs made to the development discourse, while the role of other faith-based NGOs was relegated to the fringes of the development lexicon (Clarke, 2006; McDuier-Ra and Rees, 2010).
Summary of Chapters
Chapter One: Introduction and Background: Provides the conceptual context for the Africa Redemption International Conference, positioning it as a response to the failures of past top-down poverty reduction initiatives.
Chapter Two: Faith-Based Non-Governmental Organizations (FBNGOs) and Development in South Africa: Examines how Islamic and other faith-based organizations contribute to development and social services, emphasizing the role of Zakat as an anti-poverty tool.
Chapter Three: Expanding the Prospect of Rural Prosperity in Nigeria: The Place of Education: Analyzes the link between targeted education and rural agricultural productivity as a pathway out of the poverty trap.
Chapter Four: Transforming Despondent Youth and Would-Be Criminals into Prospective Entrepreneurs: Discusses psycho-dynamic interventions aimed at converting a culture of despondency into entrepreneurial potential among Namibian youth.
Chapter Five: Community Share Ownership Trust (CSOT) Vehicle for Broad-based empowerment and eradication of rural poverty in Zimbabwe: Political Rhetoric or reality: Evaluates the effectiveness of land redistribution and share ownership models in empowering rural communities to generate local wealth.
Chapter Six: Sustainable Rural Development and the Question of Social Capital in Nigeria: Investigates the significance of social capital and local governance as missing links for sustainable rural development strategies.
Chapter Seven: Conclusions and Recommendations: Synthesizes the core discussions of the conference, reiterating the necessity of self-determination, educational investment, and community-led ownership for African prosperity.
Keywords
Poverty Eradication, Wealth Creation, Africa, Community Development, Faith-Based Organizations, Rural Prosperity, Education, Entrepreneurship, Social Capital, Local Governance, Sustainable Development, Zakat, Agricultural Productivity, Empowerment, Capacity Building.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this publication?
The book serves as a compilation of research and policy perspectives presented at the Africa Redemption International Conference, focusing on shifting the African mindset from poverty dependence to sustainable wealth creation.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The themes include the efficacy of faith-based organizations in service delivery, the role of education in rural development, youth entrepreneurship, modern land governance, and the integration of social capital into development strategies.
What is the main goal of the research presented?
The primary aim is to identify and articulate "home-grown" African solutions to poverty, specifically looking at how local institutional frameworks can be improved to foster development.
Which methodologies are employed across the various studies?
The papers utilize a range of qualitative methods, including literature reviews, case studies of specific organizations (e.g., SANZAF, Awqaf SA, and Eiseb School Gardening), and structured questionnaire surveys to evaluate social and policy phenomena.
What does the main body of the work cover?
It includes country-specific analyses from South Africa, Nigeria, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, focusing on the practical application of development programs, ranging from Zakat-based social welfare to community share ownership trusts.
Which specific keywords define the work?
Key terms include Poverty Eradication, Wealth Creation, Rural Prosperity, Social Capital, Youth Empowerment, and Sustainable Governance.
How is poverty defined within the context of Islamic NGOs?
According to the text, Islamic NGOs view poverty as multidimensional, extending beyond simple lack of income to spiritual and social aspects, categorized into seven types (e.g., the needy, the orphan, those in debt) in Islamic sacred teachings.
What is the function of the "Adopt-a-Granny" initiative?
It is a volunteer-led program that addresses the material needs of the elderly while fostering social skills among learners and helping restore dignity to the elderly through choice-based clothing procurement.
What is a Waqf within the framework discussed in chapter 5?
A Waqf is defined as a charitable endowment that allows an individual to dedicate assets to Allah for the public good, with the capital remaining intact and only the income (e.g., rentals or profits) used for sustainable development projects.
- Citation du texte
- Gurvy Kavei (Éditeur), Ismail Badroen (Auteur), Jonathan Makuwira (Auteur), Albert T. Akume (Auteur), Bethold Kaurivi (Auteur), Claudios Nhokwara (Auteur), 2022, Africa Redemption. From Poverty Eradication to Wealth Creation, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1252670
