Lazarus Sauti

Lazarus Sauti Africa is a resource-endowed continent but sadly the continent is reeling in poverty. With its vast resources that are finite in nature mostly in the mining sector, the continent is trailing other continents in terms of socio-economic development and as a result Africans are poor. Professor Mthuli Ncube, chief economist and vice-president of the African Development Bank, agrees: “The African continent is resource-rich. With good resource husbandry, Africa could be in a position to finance much of its own development.” The question that haunts every caring and concerned African is, “With all our vast resources, why are we poor?” The answer is simple, the rape of the continent of Africa is happening faster, more violently and with less resistance today than at any time in its history. An economist in Zimbabwe believes Africa is desperate for investment and this is leading to some problems affecting her. Furthermore, resources are being lost and squandered...

Lazarus Sauti Commenting on science, Martin Luther King Jr once said, “Science investigates; science gives man knowledge, which is power; and science deals mainly with facts.” Isaac Asimov, a Russian-born, American author, a professor of biochemistry, and a highly successful writer, was also quoted saying that there is a single light of science, and to brighten it anywhere is to brighten it everywhere. These two quotes show the power of science. To further expose the power of science, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe is on record saying Africa should transform itself from being a mere producer of raw materials but instead harness science for value addition programmes. He always referred to the primary development of African economies which are mainly based on agriculture and mining saying these economic activities can be further enhanced through harnessing science. As Sub-Saharan Africa develops rapidly, it is estimated that the continent will need millions of...

Lazarus Sauti Countries within and across the great African continent are still far behind in strategic utilisation and management of information. This is so because the provision of information services in Africa has been dispersed and access to various information services has become more difficult. Sadly, the principal victims of poor access to information are rural people. This is despite the fact that rural communities require information, inter alia, on supply of inputs, new technologies, early warning systems (drought, pests and diseases), credit, and market prices. Thus, African countries should embark on serious current awareness exercise through the provision of information. Collence Chisita, researcher in the field of information management, says creating awareness through provision of information services to rural people should become an essential component if the African continent is to develop and compete with other continents. He believes that communit...

Lazarus Sauti Water, according to the United Nations World Water Development Report 2014 and the African Development Bank, plays a crucial role in power generation, and therefore, in overall development. This means water and energy are closely interconnected and highly interdependent, with economic development dependent on both. “Water and energy have crucial impacts on poverty alleviation, not only directly with a number of the millennium development goals depending on major improvements in access to water, sanitation, power and energy sources, but also indirectly because water and energy can be binding constraints on economic growth – the ultimate hope for widespread poverty reduction,” noted the United Nations World Water Development report. In the foreword to the report, Irina Bokova of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation raised an important issue. Bokova said access to clean and quality water is a fundamental human right; and there...