EITD Research
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Our time People are talking everywhere about opportunity, change, or lack thereof. Do we know enough, how might we be affected, and what are we doing, about these? The issues are pressing and awesome. In 2000, for example, Heads of States and Governments met, and adopted Millennium Development Goals (MDGS), at the Millennium Summit of the United Nations, in New York, USA. The goals include specific targets such as halving the number of people in extreme poverty by 2015. The goals remain far from being achieved. Indeed, almost all the targets are not expected to be met at current trends in several countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This, even as the MDGs represent only a fraction of what several country Constitutions and other basic declarations of the United Nations mandate states to guarantee as human rights and freedoms. Many appear condemned to lives of perpetual depravity, disease and early death or little hope of being born healthy! Advocated poverty alleviation actions such as increasing aid, removing trade barriers, liberalizing economies and democratizing politics, training more teachers and health workers, improving the private sector and involving local government in development projects appear misplaced in countries such as Cameroon, where poverty remains on the rise for the vast majority of the growing population. Underpinning the failing systems are three interrelating trends: (1) continuing fear to face-up to issues in many countries; (2) growing asymmetry in the incidence of burdens and benefits of globalization including aid transfers; and, (3) apparent pessimism and cynicism that knowledge is of little significance in some parts of our world. These trends are set to increase uncertainty in the political economy of the world, especially following the ongoing credit crunch, and discourage investments in much needed freedom experience initiatives, unless the mix of enterprise, industries, technology and development is better understood and assisted. How should we respond? Solutions will depend on very high levels of knowledge and understanding of entrepreneurial, industrial and technological development needs of today and the days to come. Hence the strength of the case for supporting EITD Research as it faces confidently the enormous challenges that lie ahead. Click here to read our Strategic Plan. And, please, click here to let us know what you think. We look forward to hearing from you!
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