Four things Economically Backward countries have in common
- Their leaders have misogynist views and delegate women to the background
2. High level of corruption among Government officials
3. Poor healthcare budgets/disregard for healthcare workers
4. Disregard for teachers/non-payment of salaries
Such countries can never grow; they can only move round in circles, here are the reasons:
Women make up to half or even one-third of the population and not tapping into their wealth of experience means the country is losing out on vital human resource. Michelle Obama once said ‘’No country can ever flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens
Government officials who loot funds are not dedicated to their duties and when they are not held accountable, they have no obligation to perform, so they become a liability to the state. Agencies that are tasked with fighting economic and financial crimes cannot operate effectively if they take bribes and have a share in looted funds.
Health should come first, and this is reflected in the annual budget, if the health budget is 1% of the annual budget and life expectancy is low, how then will the economy grow, with a poor standard of living, high rate of infant mortality/maternal deaths and rising public health issues. If health care facilities are inadequate, healthcare professionals are not well paid and they have to migrate to other countries to practice, how then would the country achieve development and carter for the healthcare needs of its citizens?
Teachers are highly important, they train the leaders of tomorrow, if teachers are constantly owed salaries, how them can they impact knowledge, there would always be a knowledge gap where half breed individuals take up leadership positions in the future.
It’s indeed a vicious cycle for the countries in this group; one step forward, and two steps backward.To change the status quo,drastic change is needed,and this can be achieved by electing good quality leaders who are passionate about making a change in the first instance.
