I have observed with keen interest that the distribution of national resources has been from top to bottom in African countries leaving traditional leaders hand-caped with little or no participation to provide an upper hand in developmental activities forgeting that they are the people leading the majority citizens in the country. About 60 percent of people in Africa particularly Zambia leave in rural areas.
The consequences of such approach is that development does not reach the needy, (rural people) because resources finish before they reach the bottom level especially that decisions are made by the central government about how national resources should be allocated.
Up to this time, the majority of rural areas in Africa(Zambia) do not have access to mobile phone, radio reception, TV reception and access to good roads. Because of these challenges people in rural communities have difficulties to develop their own areas. The question is who is responsible to develop rural areas? I guess it is the responsibility of the government to create an enabling environment which will attract investors to invest in rural areas, such investment will create employment to the local people.
However, I still believe that traditional should play an important role in governance because they are always with the people and their term of office is permanent as compared to elected government officials whose term expires after the period of 5 years in most democratic countries.
I also suggest that chiefs should have a big stake in decision making at national level. This will help accelerate from bottom level to top level.
The government should learn from the emerging models in rural areas which involve the local people by: first visiting a chiefs, organizing stakeholders of that particular community, select a local talent from the same community and have him/her trained, after trainings the local talent is sent back to his/her community to be in charge of his/her own development.
I'm pretty sure that this is the kind of development everyone would like to see.
Sunday 6 March 2011
Friday 4 March 2011
Effects of ICT to the Zambian tradition
Despite culture being dynamic, Zambia/Africa has strong value system on traditions. However, the old generation say that Information Communication and Technology (ICT) has broken the traditions. Because of this, a platform between the old and new generation has been created to critically look at the effects of ICT on the traditional value system. Since the introduction of technology in Zambia, according to senior headman Macha, the following have been observed; young people have broken the traditions for example when a phone rings a young person would quickly answer it while seated with elders without an excuse, this offends elders as they feel not respected, pupils sometimes have more knowledge than teachers especially those pupils who spend much time on research, this has made teachers feel inferior since they believe that they the only masters in teaching
The new generation has a strong argument, they say that ICT is a critical and valuable ingredient to the preservation of our precious African culture, ICT is the only solution to preserve the culture and, information can be shared and transmitted within seconds at global level. In Zambian culture, information has been monopolized by the old people such that when an old man/woman dies he goes with information to the grave leaving the young generation without a (traditional library)
Upon hearing such conversations from the community I approched his royal highness chief Chikanta who is currently serving as vice chairman in the Zambian house of chiefs and represented the following observation on ICT ; "we really appreciated what Information Communication Technology does because as tradition leaders, we are now able to exhibit our culture, traditions and customs to the rest of the world, this has made us to exist, to be recognized and participate at global level, my people are now able to check for the market price for their crops"
In conclusion, I have observed that whether in urban or rural areas, ICT is a valuable ingredient to the expansion of economic and social muscle in rural areas of Zambia
The new generation has a strong argument, they say that ICT is a critical and valuable ingredient to the preservation of our precious African culture, ICT is the only solution to preserve the culture and, information can be shared and transmitted within seconds at global level. In Zambian culture, information has been monopolized by the old people such that when an old man/woman dies he goes with information to the grave leaving the young generation without a (traditional library)
Upon hearing such conversations from the community I approched his royal highness chief Chikanta who is currently serving as vice chairman in the Zambian house of chiefs and represented the following observation on ICT ; "we really appreciated what Information Communication Technology does because as tradition leaders, we are now able to exhibit our culture, traditions and customs to the rest of the world, this has made us to exist, to be recognized and participate at global level, my people are now able to check for the market price for their crops"
In conclusion, I have observed that whether in urban or rural areas, ICT is a valuable ingredient to the expansion of economic and social muscle in rural areas of Zambia
Growing Local Talents in a rural set up
Growing Local talents to take charge of their own initiated innovative activities in rural areas is the most recent developed approach in Zambia if not Africa at large.
This recent approach is associated with a high amount of criticism from professionals who only believe that best performance can only come from a college or university graduate despite their performance.
As opposed to this belief, MachaWorks local talents are secondary school graduates who have been mentored for at least the period of 2 years. After the mentor-ship period, a local talent can perform wonders as experienced in our MachaWorks approach.
Apart from mature performance, a local talent has managed to find solutions to problems affecting his/her rural communities.
Iam happy to see that local talents have done a lot in resource limited environment; first and foremost they are committed to stay in their own community, secondly they endure when they are faced with lots of challenges, thirdly, it is not about how much salary they make but it is about how much development they would like to see in their own communities, fourthly, after innovations have been created, professionals are invited to participate and be part of the developments.
I therefore encourage professionals and non professional to encourage local talents for the value they add to rural development where few or no university graduate would like to go.
This recent approach is associated with a high amount of criticism from professionals who only believe that best performance can only come from a college or university graduate despite their performance.
As opposed to this belief, MachaWorks local talents are secondary school graduates who have been mentored for at least the period of 2 years. After the mentor-ship period, a local talent can perform wonders as experienced in our MachaWorks approach.
Apart from mature performance, a local talent has managed to find solutions to problems affecting his/her rural communities.
Iam happy to see that local talents have done a lot in resource limited environment; first and foremost they are committed to stay in their own community, secondly they endure when they are faced with lots of challenges, thirdly, it is not about how much salary they make but it is about how much development they would like to see in their own communities, fourthly, after innovations have been created, professionals are invited to participate and be part of the developments.
I therefore encourage professionals and non professional to encourage local talents for the value they add to rural development where few or no university graduate would like to go.
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