Within the broad framework of the theme of this discourse, “Strengthening Institutional Mechanisms for Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Development in Nigeria”; the topic suggests critical areas of economic build up in developing economies as a function of institutional strengths, with a bearing on common problems – poverty, demanding remedies - development. The theme also underscores an element of inclusive development, without which the object of poverty cannot be said to be adequately addressed.
Whereas the topic considers key factors of human attributes that contribute to economic development (entrepreneurship and skill acquisition), the significant notations, which are interwoven between the topic and the theme are the geo-spatial definition of the Niger Delta region and “inclusive development”. We will try to consider contextual definitions of entrepreneurship, skills and their acquisition, connotations of poverty, on one hand and institutional mechanisms and inclusive development on the other. With the consciousness of policy based targets, I will assume practical perspectives with feasible realities, occasionally drawing from experience. Some of the issues and their understanding may seem subjective but they will not obliviate the essence of policy pillars identified as poverty reduction and institutional strengthening that are intended to be achieved by the programme of your engagement in this course “SEC 38”.
The following sub themes will be the pivots of our anchor.
What is entrepreneurship? What is Skill acquisition? What is the relationship between the two? Of what relevance are the two to poverty reduction? How is poverty theorised? Why is the Niger Delta peculiar in this discourse? Is there any bearing of the foregoing with institutional capacities toward achieving development and having it inclusive in order to reduce poverty?
The discourse will be tailored toward addressing the topic within the context of the key elements of the theme, which are basically around strengthening institutional mechanisms and inclusive development.
Entrepreneurship is a commitment to a production process that is established for commercial purposes, with a motivation to create, invest, and organize, through strategic application of innovation, skilled labour, social capacities and/or capabilities and institutional linkages. All these can be enabled or disabled by the strengths and weaknesses of institutional frameworks; and powered by regulatory competence, which is in turn, defined by political willingness, human knowledge management, environmental condition and conditioning, resource base as well as social capital. Entrepreneurship is conceived as a profit seeking venture through a means of production process. Entrepreneurship is powered by skills as a key factor.
A skill is a potent resourceful capacity, acquired through training or personal initiative to introduce and sustain a vocation that may serve the purpose of a career or an occupation. Skills are acquired capabilities for specific task performances. Skills can also be derived from innate potential-resource capabilities. In each case, they serve the purpose of endowing one with a set of advantages that can enable specialized knowledge capabilities, which are capable of offering opportunities to the bearer for making particular choices in the relevant sector(s) of economic, social or political productivity, in this case economic. Skills may be acquired in management systems such as technical fields, human management, resource and information systems. Such capacities that are strengthened by capabilities are essential for entrepreneurship. The essence of skills acquisition is to enable bearers of skills to engage in productive ventures for better living standards, which inadvertently is a critical, but remote approach of the general struggle to reduce poverty. The nexus between entrepreneurship, skill acquisition and poverty reduction are founded on human capacities, desires, and demand for improved quality of life.
Theorisation of the Niger Delta region has diverse perceptions and conceptions. The prevailing view of external formulators portrays a complex milieu of persons characterized as inconsiderate agitators or perceived as milking the cow without nourishing the grazing field. The actual and undeniable circumstance of the Niger Delta is that of a degraded environment, deprived people and abused opportunities.
-The peculiarity of the Niger Delta is derived from its economic relevance as oil and gas producing region that sustains the national economy;
- Definition, which encompasses 9 States, traversing 3 geopolitical zones; the South-South, the South-East, and the South-West as enunciated by the Willink’s Commission;
- Demographic capacity of more than 40 million people;
-Environmental abuse;
- Identity of agitation with a violent force;
- Deprived status in terms of amenities and physical infrastructure;
The frame of this topic conveys a notion, which highlights the Niger Delta region as an area that is occupied by a remarkably poor population. This is a true conveyance and made more apt in relation to the resource base that the region provides for the national economy. Remedial efforts are always the background conditions for agitation of different sorts, which implicate the International Oil Companies and other players in the region and beyond for their different roles either to promote or diminish value for such agitations. Whereas the oil companies comprised the initial agents of environmental pollution through operational spills, they devised means of survival by turning the inhabitants against one another. Some of the times, it was possible to turn the communities’ rural leadership against the elites that initiated the consciousness of environmental abuses through pollution.
EXCERPTS FROM "ENTREPRENUERSHIP, SKILL ACQUISITION AND POVERTY REDUCTION IN THE NIGER DELTA" PRESENTED TO EXECUTIVE COURSE 38 (SEC) 38, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR POLICY AND STRATEGIC STUDIES (NIPSS), KURU, BY USANI UGURU USANI, MINISTER OF NIGER DELTA AFFAIRS ON THE 9TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 2016
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