Any discussion or policy on social class and development would be incomplete if it does not include poverty, which can loosely be defined as the lack of minimum food and shelter necessary for maintaining life. Availability of food and shelter are central to any attempts aimed at combating poverty.
Understanding what causes poverty is critical to the process of devising and implementing effective solutions. There is need to identify the causes of poverty in order to create sustainable change.
Most analysts would argue that there is no single root cause of all poverty everywhere throughout humanity. However, if we take into account individual histories and circumstances of certain countries and regions, we are bound to find significant trends in the causes of poverty.
The fact that almost all countries of the world are imbued with an abundance of natural resources should be enough evidence that in most cases poverty is an outcome of the policies of governments and multinational corporations.
The world has enough wealth to end poverty. The challenge is to tackle the real causes of poverty. That challenge requires political will. If we cannot correctly identify the causes of poverty, how can we seek correct solutions to a phenomenon whose causes we refuse to acknowledge?
It is sad to note that the three richest men in the world are wealthier than the 48 poorest countries of the world combined. Bearing this in mind, can the poverty of the hundreds of thousands of Namibians be alleviated by 30 percent of the profits of at least four multinational companies that are exploiting our natural resources? We will never know until we try it out.
True that governments, including ours, operate within the framework of an economic system – capitalism – which is based on wealth being produced for sale on the world market with a view to profit multinational corporations, who dictate that these profits be accumulated in the form of more capital invested to make yet further profits. The aim of production in this system is not to satisfy the needs of the indigenous people, but to accumulate profits.
In short, our governments put profits before the poor people because they are obliged to do so by the impersonal workings of world market forces.
If we surely want to tackle poverty and ensure that we do not have rich regions like the //Kharas being home to the poorest of our people, then we need to start localising the economy to limit certain business activities to locals; empower the communities to embark on manufacturing business; make it easy for entrepreneurs in the regions to obtain government grants, and business skills.
There is need for commitment to a new model of development that, for the first time, should take into account the role of natural capital, and by bringing the value of natural resources from the periphery to the center of all economic decision-making.
Let us use our abundant natural resources for the health, education and sustainable future of current and next generations. We must protect our vital natural resources like forests and fresh water, and move the value of nature to the center of our development strategies.
We must also integrate the value of nature into our national policies and programmes, recognising that nature is needed for economic growth and sustainability. This way, we may reduce poverty by transitioning agriculture, extractive industries, fisheries and other economic uses of nature to practices that promote sustainable employment, food security, sustainable energy and the protection of nature, including protected areas.
There is urgent need to also build the knowledge, capacity and policy networks to promote leadership and a new model in the field of sustainable development to increase momentum for positive change. Above all, our people, irrespective of their status in society deserve decent shelter and food.
*Dr Charles Mubita holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of Southern California.