Ethical Standards and Alleviation of Poverty in Africa

Olivier Sempiga

Poverty & Public Policy, 2012, vol. 4, issue 2, 1-30

Abstract: Abstract Today, throughout Africa, many people are afflicted by acute misery and persistent hunger. Thousands of innocent children among them die each year from lack of food and medical attention. Others cannot afford to go to school. These lacks are a reflection of the many “unfreedoms” afflicting people in Africa. I argue that the key to ending these people's extreme poverty is to remove all sorts of “unfreedoms” due inter alia to nepotism, corruption, unfair international systems, greed and consumerism, all of which seem to be a consequence of selfishness. To achieve that, leaders and others involved in development need certain ethical standards. They need to transcend selfishness, a me‐centered‐ethics that encourages utility maximization, and bear in mind that the other person also needs to develop. Using the examples of Rwanda and Zimbabwe, I show how African leaders need a certain amount of ethical standards if they are to alleviate poverty. This ethics‐of‐duty‐towards‐other‐people as I call it may be achieved through education and putting up strong legal structures.

Date: 2012
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https://doi.org/10.1515/1944-2858.1241

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wly:povpop:v:4:y:2012:i:2:p:1-30

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