The Problem of Poverty in Africa Essay

Introduction

The paper is a proposal on how the problem of poverty in Africa can be solved. The study will use a mixed research approach in attaining its goals (Creswell, 2009). The major aim of the study is to identify the causes of poverty and propose best strategies that can help Africans come out of poverty.

Background of the study

Africa has long been known to suffer from a number of calamities such as floods, drought among others; however the issue of poverty seems to have brushed the continents the wrong way leaving thousands of individuals dead. According to Adato et al., 2006 Currently poverty is seen as a long problem that will continue to be with us, as long as the world remains. Mahatma Gandhi had some of the most creative insights into this problem with regards to India. Mao Tse Tung was similarly quite creative on this issue in China, as was John Kenneth Galbraith with regards to affluent society. There are numerous people who have lost many a night’s sleep on this matter in Africa.

[Poverty is relative, not absolute. It is about getting basic needs, not huge material surpluses. It is about having enough resources for meeting basic needs for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. It is about none material satisfaction not excess material goods of little intrinsic value] (Adato et al., 2006: 23).

Problem statement

There is no doubt that there exist large volumes of material regarding poverty in Africa. With this there are a number of solutions that have been brought forth with the aim of curbing poverty in the continent. Despite the fact that the majority of the authors have tried to address the causes so that they can develop best strategies, their is a gap in trying to establish how best the proposed strategies will be implemented based on the variation in a number of issues such as population, policies in each and every country. The study will thus seek not only to bring out the causes of poverty and how to curb it but propose how to implement the strategies based on the country’s needs.

Research questions, hypotheses and variables

The research question that will guide the study is what the major ways of curbing poverty in Africa are. From this, the three main objectives of the study are:

1. To find out how prevalent is poverty in Africa
2. To establish the major causes of poverty in Africa
3. To find out the best strategies to curb the issue of poverty in Africa.

The hypotheses for the study are:

• H_oThere is a significant difference in causes of poverty.
• H_o There is a significance difference in strategies used in curbing poverty in Africa and its reduction
• H_o There is significant difference in the prevalence of poverty in Africa.

The dependent variable in the study is poverty. It is worth noting that this is the variable the research will try to predict its variation in presence of certain variable known to be independent is important. The independent variable will include all the causes of poverty and the strategies used to curb the same (Reynolds, 2007).

Theoretical framework

It has been argued that the world food production is enough to feed the world populations. The major problem associated with poverty has been deemed to be unequal distribution of wealth and the natural resources plus the opportunity to access financial resources for investments (Creswell, 2009).

It is human understanding that wealth is generated by labour upon acting on natural resources. From this notion it is evident that if the same is made available to each and everyone and the individuals are encouraged, able and at will to work tirelessly, then poverty could be history. Nonetheless, this is not the case as this vital resource lies in the hands of a few individuals who exercise monopoly over them. Another problem that has caused poverty is the unfair market prices of goods and services from the continent. It is postulated that equal distribution of natural resources and fair market policies will help the poor in Africa to have enough to eat, shelter, clothing and education (Adato et al., 2006.).

Works Cited

Adato, M., Carter, M. & May, J. 2006. Exploring poverty traps and social exclusion in South Africa using qualitative and quantitative data. Journal of Development Studies, 42(1): 226 – 247.

Creswell, J. 2009. Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Reynolds, P. 2007. A primer in theory construction. Boston: Pearson Education.