The Kenyan economics expert James Shikwati – The Kenyan economics expert James Shikwati, 35, says that aid to Africa does more harm than good. The avid proponent of globalization spoke with SPIEGEL about the disastrous effects of Western development policy in Africa, corrupt rulers, and the tendency to overstate the AIDS problem.

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Political, Economic and Environmental Challenges in Africa

Poor Economics : A Radical Rethinking of the Wayto Fight Global loverty

Nigeria is not alone. Africa is in the midst of an unprecedented rapid industrialization. Standards of living have increased exponentially since the beginning of the 21st century. 

The Case for Why Economic Development Is Making Nigeria More Dangerous

The economic outlook for 2016

Nigeria has slipped into recession, with the latest growth figures showing the economy contracted 2.06% between April and June.

Nigerian economy slips into recession

The politics of tribalism in Nigeria has contributed to its enduring fragile democracy. The article explains the basis and origin of the phenomenon and offers some advice on ways forward.

The Nigerian Politics of Tribalism

Rights: Can only ViewLicense: All Rights ReservedLecture at Protestant Academy , MulheimInternational Network of Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility (INES) March 1, 2002

Rights: Can only ViewLicense: CC Attribution-NoDerivs LicenseWhy do the poor borrow to save? Why do they miss out on free life-saving immunizations, but pay for unnecessary drugs? In Poor Economics, Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo, two practical visionaries working toward ending world poverty, answer these questions from the ground. In a book the Wall Street Journal called marvelous, rewarding, the authors tell how the stress of living on less than 99 cents per day encourages the poor to make questionable decisions that feednot fightpoverty. The result is a radical rethinking of the economics of poverty that offers a ringside view of the lives of the worlds poorest, and shows that creating a world without poverty begins with understanding the daily decisions facing the poor.

<h2>The Case for Why Economic Development Is Making Nigeria More Dangerous&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>At Lagos’ notoriously chaotic <a href="http://www.faannigeria.org/airports/international-airports/lagos-mma1.html" target="_blank">Murtala Muhammed International Airport</a> , arriving passengers compete for a place in the clump of other passengers awaiting the approval of an overworked immigration official. Permitted entry, a second scamper ensues to get luggage—brands like Tumi and Rimowa intermingle in a pile with black masking-taped sacks, because the conveyer belt has stopped working. Collected, passengers are directed to the arrivals exit where a sign greets them: “Danger: Modernization In Progress.” The sign is intended to warn passengers arriving in the country of 170 million people about the ongoing renovations—renovations that commenced a decade ago to help Lagos’ airport better cope with the surge in traffic and commerce in the midst of the country’s economic boom. But the sign also raises an important question: Are the forces driving Nigeria’s economic boom also generating dangerous problems.Nigeria is not alone. Africa is in the midst of an unprecedented rapid industrialization. Standards of living have increased exponentially since the beginning of the 21st century. The percentage of poor Africans fell from <a href="http://blogs.worldbank.org/africacan/africa-is-rising-is-poverty-falling" target="_blank">58% in 1999 to 47.5% in 2008</a>. Africa’s growth has genera ted enormously positive change for the continent: urbanization has increased productivity, technology has provided access to information to more people than ever, and several hundred million have been lifted out of abject poverty. At the same time that things have been getting better, things have also gotten worse. Coups, violence, uprisings, and volatility have all risen sharply in the past two years. The top 10 countries in the world <a href="https://dartthrowingchimp.wordpress.com/2015/01/17/statistical-assessments-of-coup-risk-for-2015/" target="_blank">most at risk of state failure</a> are African. <a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/9e74aa50-1e4d-11e4-ab52-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3QKn2mGwE" target="_blank">Five of the top 10</a> most unequal societies are African. Joblessness in the major cities have produced a disillusioned underclass—neither beneficiaries of, nor contributors to the state.<a href="http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2015/02/case-why-economic-development-making-nigeria-more-dangerous/104436/" target="_blank">Read more: Associated Press</a>&nbsp;February 3, 2015 By Eliot Pence

The economic outlook for 2016 – from BBC News – By Andrew Walker BBC World Service economics correspondent – 6 January 2016<div><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/threepsmars/image/upload/v1662268883/mgmrbomtj4zd4nnuh9wo.png" alt=""> </div>What can we expect in 2016 from the world economy?If the mainstream forecasters are right slightly better than last year.The International Monetary Fund, for example, forecasts growth of 3.6% this year after 3.1% in 2015.Last year’s figure is rather sluggish; this year’s stronger but still not all that impressive.The IMF will produce an updated forecast later this month, but in a guest article for the German newspaper Handelsblatt, the agency’s managing director, Christine Lagarde, warned that this year will be disappointing.The recovery from the Great Recession, which followed the international financial crisis, continues. It’s just not very convincing.This is just a forecast of course and like all such exercises it’s surrounded by a cloud of uncertainty.So what are the big issues for next year, the factors that will determine whether things turn out better or worse than the IMF and others currently predict?Disruption from higher US rates?Once again, two factors dominate, and they come from the world’s two largest economies: the United States and China.In the US the long haul back to a more normal interest rate policy began at the end of last year. The Federal Reserve finally raised its main interest rate target from the level of practically zero it has had since the end of 2008. Read more:&nbsp;

Nigeria has slipped into recession, with the latest growth figures showing the economy contracted 2.06% between April and June.The country has now seen two consecutive quarters of declining growth, the usual definition of recession.Its vital oil industry has been hit by weaker global prices, according to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS).But the government says there has been strong growth in other sectors.Crude oil sales account for 70% of government income.The price of oil has fallen from highs of about $112 a barrel in 2014 to below $50 at the moment.Outside the oil industry, the figures show the fall in the Nigerian currency, the naira, has hurt the economy. It was allowed to float freely in June to help kick-start the economy, but critics argued it should have been done earlier.This economic recession comes as no surprise to millions of Nigerians. Many say they’ve never known it so tough.The slump in global oil prices has hit Nigeria hard. The government depends on oil sales for about 70% of its revenues.But critics say government policies made a bad situation even worse. The decision to delay devaluing Nigeria’s currency meant many businesses struggled to get foreign currency to pay for imports, which had a cooling effect on the entire economy.Following enormous pressure, the government changed tack this summer, allowing the naira to float.That’s led to a spike in inflation, but the hope is that it will attract foreign investors. The government also says the country needs to import less: it wants to see more products made in Nigeria.Courtesy BBC News.<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37228741" target="_blank">http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37228741</a>&nbsp;

The Nigerian Politics of Tribalism By Ayodele OshoI found this article on the Nigerian Politics of Tribalism and wish to share it with my readers.The politics of tribalism in Nigeria has contributed to its enduring fragile democracy. The article explains the basis and origin of the phenomenon and offers some advice on ways forward.———————-This is an entry for the Pulse writer’s contest by Ayodele Osho. “…No nation can record progress if her people are suspicious of one another based on ethnocentric sentiments and historical resentment…”According to the 8th Edition of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, Tribalism is the behaviour and attitudes that stem from strong loyalty to one’s own tribe or social group. Tribalism suggests the possession of a strong ethnic identity that distinguishes one member of a tribe from the members of another tribe. We can decide to let this hold us back or use the rich diversity in Nigeria to our benefits.Nigeria, being a multi-ethnic society has been faced with tribalism over the years. Each ethnic group has its own culture, language and traditional belief. There are numerous negative perceptions about the various tribes even by Nigerians. The various tribes in Nigeria have their mythologies about where they originated from. The diversities from the origin however ought to be a blessing to the Nigerian nation. However, its heterogeneous nature has been the bane of the nation at various times in her over hundred years of existence.The first step for Nigeria to really succeed in the 21st century is to put an end to tribalism and look forward to attaining true nationhood. No nation can record progress if her people are suspicious of one another based on ethnocentric sentiments and historical resentment.There is NO point in being tribalistic in this era of political and economic transformation. Some people from some tribes may have been seen in the past as the cause of the problems in Nigeria. However the time is right to put our Nigeria in the comity of nations that have outgrown sentiments and become united irrespective of all odds.The inter-ethnic relationship among the various tribes in Nigeria has been severed with power tussle and ethno-religious crisis among ethnic nationalities leading to marginalization and loss of lives and property.Tribalism is very much related to racism. Tribalism is at the very core of the nation’s politics and it will be a hindrance as long as it is allowed to continue. It is not the sole cause but of course it adds to the some of the social and political difficulties that Nigeria is facing today.The fundamental solution to the issue of tribalism is to love one another equally. We as a people must shun defamation of character in any form. The leadership of the nation should not base political appointments on tribe. We need to remember that we are all humans, and all have the same wants.Nigerian politics is very complicated but, it is not entirely different from world politics, which is often plagued by partisanship and sectionalism. Nigerian politics is unique however, because it brings into play so many factors, a few of which includes individual interests, geographic factors, ethnicity, religion and a host of other issues. Politics is an integral part of democracy, and in order for us to achieve sustainable development, we need to redefine politics in Nigeria. Up till this moment, true democracy has remained elusive to us, and we must do something about it.Recent political developments in Nigeria have unearthed the true depth of the underlying spirit of her nationhood. It has also put to a simple test, the character of our political leaders; who are supposed to be advocates of change. But as it is now, the parochial interests of the nation’s political, tribal, and religious leaders have made nonsense of the character of sound political leadership as prescribed in every healthy presidential democracy. It is most absurd to note that the political class has shamelessly turned Nigeria’s democracy on its head. This sad development is a clear demonstration that the noble democratic culture of good governance has been deliberately drowned in the pool of negative political scheming.Institutional framework has become too weak and consequently unable to carry the burden of Due Process and the Rule of Law. While Transparency and Accountability are products of the culture of Due Process, the Rule of Law promotes Justice and Fair Play. These principles are unarguably the pillars of any healthy society.This explains why Nigeria is still counted among the poorest nations of the world despite her abundant human and natural resources. It has also given a clue as to why Nigeria – the sixth largest producer of crude oil in the world relies on the importation of virtually all petroleum products. Instead of this sad reality posing a huge challenge to our political leaders; they have with selfish intentions allowed the nation to drift far into the ocean of anarchy and disintegration. Surprisingly, the political class is carrying on as if Nigeria has nothing to lose, even when the contrary is clearly the case.Nigeria’s greatest problem is tribalism. It is owing to the deep rooted culture of tribalism that successive administrations have not been able to effectively fight corruption in Nigeria. There is an unwritten law in Nigeria that forbids citizens from exposing or prosecuting fellow tribesmen for corrupt practices.That is the reason why public servants that earn less than N5Million annually will build mansions and own fleet of exotic cars worth over N500m and still be conferred with chieftaincy titles without verifying the sources of the sudden wealth of their kinsmen and women.Nigeria has been turned into a nation where one must also have his or her tribes person in position of authority in order to be employed, given a key appointment, or awarded a big contract. This anomaly is hugely responsible for why the issue of tribal lineage is regarded far above every other factor in the Nigerian society. In a nutshell; tribalism can only become rife in a nation where there is no transparency, accountability, justice, and fair play.Furthermore, tribalism promotes national poverty. It compels citizens to be lazy. In a tribal-induced bureaucracy, even people that sow nothing can reap bountifully simply because their tribes person is in power. This is clearly against natural principle. The more we promote tribal agenda above constitutional provisions, the closer we move toward disintegration. Everybody professes “One Nigeria” but is unwilling to make the necessary sacrifices to unite the various ethnic clusters in the nation.Power belongs to God. He gives power to whoever that pleases Him. God also takes away power whenever it pleases Him. One is therefore forced to wonder why people see and treat power with a “do-or-die” attitude. Perhaps, one should emphasize here that the basic aim of political power is to improve the lives of man and society through quality leadership.Nigeria is bigger than any individual or ethnic group. It is high time Nigeria became a nation; it is about time we have a shared culture and our national values restored.<a href="https://www.pulse.ng/communities/bloggers/pulse-blogger-the-nigerian-politics-of-tribalism-writers-contest-id4059945.html" target="_blank">Courtesy Pulse NG. Read More on this article and others from Pulse NG Magazine</a>&nbsp;