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ACHIEVING THE MILLENNUIM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGs): A SHARED RESPONSIBILTY.
In the year 2000, 189 member states of the United Nations took a bold step and a great leap of faith in drafting and signing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The goals were, but not limited to the following:
• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Achieve universal primary education
• Promote gender equality and empower women
• Reduce child mortality
• Improve maternal health
• Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
• Ensure environmental sustainability
• Develop a global partnership for development.
Almost six years have elapsed since then. The Ghana government was one of the numerous signatories to this declaration. It is prudent and necessary, therefore, for us as a people to take stock of our activities in the pursuit of the realization of the millennium development goals. We cannot assign ourselves a responsibility through our promise to other countries in the world, then return home to fold our arms.
The world over, as some may bear me out, especially those who browse the internet quite frequently and read newspapers, magazines and journals both within and without the boundaries of Ghana , a lot is being done at individual national levels and collectively as a global force of countries for the attainment of the MDGs.The United Nations for instance, has developed the Millennium Campaign site on the internet to collate news and information on all MDG campaigns and activities across the world. The make-poverty history campaigns held worldwide were all to attain the MDGs.
What makes the MDGs so special and why should we in Ghana be bothered? How does it affect our lives as a people and how could their attainment shape or transform our lives? What roles do we have to play?
The eight goals are just a summary of the various activities humanity has over the years been undertaking and the ideals we have been striving to reach in our quest for development. A clearly defined vision is as important as its realization since blurred vision can sometimes be very frustrating. The MDGs are a blueprint for all member nations to measure their commitment to the pursuit of sustainable development and the betterment of lives of their citizenry. They are a common yardstick with which measurements in terms of development are made across the globe in every country. The MDGs also give countries the opportunity to share ideas, skills and expertise in addressing the most common but debilitating challenges confronting us all globally. They serve as a standard by which governments, civil society organizations and individuals measure their contribution to the alleviation of the suffering on people of the earth.
A few weeks before vacation, I asked student friends on campus to test their knowledge on the MDGs and it was disturbing to know that many of my friends were still ignorant to what the MDGs were. The story was not too different when I interacted with a few opinion leaders within the Ghanaian society during my visits to parts of the country. The few who claimed to know something about the MDGs were lacking in detail what the eight goals really entailed. Interestingly, some who were championing the cause of the MDGs were unaware of the great role they were playing in achieving a global vision.
To me, upon careful and thoughtful considerations, the government has the greatest responsibility to fulfill and role to play in the attainment of the millennium development goals. Government, with its three arms namely the Executive, Judiciary and the Legislative is entrusted with the responsibility of national leadership. The government must ensure the greatest respect in the greatest sense to the greatest majority of Ghanaians in terms of human rights protection. The rule of law must be upheld at all times. Education also is a powerful tool for the elimination of debilitating poverty. The implementation of the Free Compulsory and Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) by the Ghana government is a big plus for Ghanaians in achieving the MDGs. It is heart warming that enrolment in most of the basic schools has shot up appreciably due to the coming into effect of the capitation and feeding grants programme under FCUBE. The government must step up efforts to guarantee the many youth who are unemployed jobs from which they can derive a living. Poverty does not only make our people poor, it weakens them psychologically too. Poverty causes to a nation humiliation and puts it in an uncomfortable position to throttle round the world cup-in-hand instead of gift-in-hand. In addressing the challenge of poverty, the government must take a critical look at ICT development and decentralization. India is a good example for what investment in ICT development could do to transform a wailing economy. How many bags of cocoa shall we continue to export to buy a laptop and for how long? If 185 out of 500 top global business groups and companies undertake ICT outsourcing in India, then we need no consultant to tell us that we are losing a lot by not investing a lot in ICT development. ICT must be decentralized: every regional and district capital should have a well established and resourced ICT Training Center so that individuals can easily equip themselves for a lifetime global opportunity. Potato chips will fetch as peanuts but electronic chips (technology) bring to our coffers wealth.
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Yazarın Profili
DAKE KOFI SELORM
SELORM KOFI DAKE is a university graduate from KNUST, KUMASI -Ghana.He was the Deputy SRC General Secretary and Treasurer of KNUST.
Currently, he serves with the All Africa Students Union (AASU) AS the National Liaison Officer for Ghana.
Selorm is a staunch youth activist and advocate.
He is a poet, author and philosopher.
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