In the 1990s, economic growth in Africa averaged
only 2.1% a year (ECA 2001). The
constraints for economic growth point to the need for eradicating poverty.
It is not surprising then that poverty reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa is
currently a major concern for most African governments and the international
bodies. Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa is principally linked to under utilisation
of labour, whether in the form of open unemployment or massive underemployment.
Persistence of poverty is also
linked to lack of a balanced growth strategy between primary and secondary
production sectors. There is need
for more investment in industry and to close the savings gap.
Civil society is an alien term
in the African setting. There is a great temptation to adopt Eurocentric
definitions because they have been there initially. It is assumed that civil
society consists of professional associations and NGOs – a reality that does
not tally very well with African experiences. This is because Africans do not
operate in isolation of African traditions and traditional institutions. It is
on this bedrock that the women associations in Kenya, the village development
boards in Botswana, and the mode of transport and the provision of education in
Kenya discussed here are built. Since the 1980s, various civil societies in
African countries have been at the forefront in addressing poverty reduction
especially in instances where the governments have abdicated their
responsibilities.
In this bulletin various ways
in which poverty has been tackled by different civil societies are addressed.
The articles argue that civil societies have been critical in the process of
poverty reduction. Further, there is need to revisit and strengthen the
community development agenda if poverty reduction is to be adequately addressed.
The foundations for community development already exist in many African
countries, in both rural and urban settings. As seen in these articles civil
societies have taken a leading role in the development agenda especially in the
1990s and well into the new millennium. Further, poverty has a gender dimension
and both men and women experience and react to poverty differently.
It is a well-known fact that
civil societies have been at the forefront in the campaign for good governance,
transparency and accountability. Good governance, accountability and
transparency are key in providing room for economic recovery and poverty
reduction. Moreover, civil societies will have to be brought to the forefront of
the campaign to reduce poverty.
Civil societies such as
workers’ organisations, and other urban poor, entrepreneurs, women’s
informal associations and the village local leadership as portrayed in the
articles presented in this bulletin must be seen to work in tandem with
governments to turn obstacles into capabilities.
The role of civil society
through workers’ organisations have been instrumental in pressuring their
governments to adopt employment-intensive economic policies and adequate social
protection schemes at a time when IMF and World Bank policies on Structural
Adjustment have threatened job security. Through collective bargaining
strategies they have sought better working conditions, rights for women workers
and the elimination of child labour. The workers’ organisations operate in
line with the ILO conventions, and thus these civil societies cannot be detached
from the international arena.
Various governments have also
embraced poverty reduction strategies, and a commitment towards this is now
illustrated in the case of Botswana. The government of Botswana has sought to
forge a partnership with members of the civil society in an attempt to reduce
poverty. Village development boards developed in line with the traditional
institutions of community governance are also involved and the concepts of
community mobilisation and ownership emerge. The weaknesses and strengths of
this partnership are also highlighted.
The need to invest in
intellectual capital as a means of addressing urban poverty is also discussed. A
“community” approach to urban unemployment problem that seeks to develop,
encourage, and support non-profit community-based mechanisms for providing good
governance is critical.
Women’s informal associations
have been critical in the process of poverty reduction. The networks that these
associations built with the NGOs and the government indicate how African
traditional institutions have embraced modernity including entrepreneurship and
African tradition to combat poverty.
In the wake of limited state
budgets for education civil society has taken up the challenge and
responsibility of providing education. Due to the government’s inability to
provide early childhood education, the Ministry of Education in Kenya has
adopted a policy of partnership with civil society where the civil society has
the higher mandate and control of Early Childhood Education Development Centres
throughout the country. Civil society has also been instrumental in the
provision of primary education in Kenya. The government provides only 50% of the
primary education budget, out of which 90% goes to teachers’ salaries. This
leaves 10% for development projects. With time, the parent and teachers
associations, the Church and other private players have been left to direct
primary education in Kenya. The article on this issue further shows how even the
non-formal education in Kenya is solely in the hands of civil society.
Civil society is not a panacea
to poverty reduction in Africa. These arrangements by civil society have not
always been a smooth process and are compounded by conflict. They do not escape
historical experiences or interruptions by the political and economic climate
and sometimes ethnicity and sectarianism. This is illustrated in the case of the
struggle for socio-economic niche in the control of Matatu industry in Kenya.