Eritrea is a relatively small country in the North East of Africa with a population of only 5 million (Economist Intelligence Unit). The country is often referred to as the fastest emptying country in the world, which is part of the explanation for the extremely low population (Economist Intelligence Unit). The country has had a tumultuous history, from becoming an Italian colony due to multiple invasions in the 1900s to a 30-year war with Ethiopia after the Ethiopian government took control over the country due to its rich mineral resources and ideal Red Sea coastline. Eritrea declared its independence and gained international recognition in 1993 (Africa.com). As well as a general rocky past, the country has also experienced a harsh government. Eritrea is an authoritarian state, run by the People’s Front “for Democracy and Justice” and the country (supposedly) has a constitution, which was adopted in 1997, but has yet to be implemented. Other political groups do not have the right to organise and in 2001 the government went as far as closing down all news outlets and arrested all individuals that had spoken out about the government and imprisoned them without any form of trial. There are regularly scheduled elections; however, all elections have been cancelled before they were held and no election has ever actually taken place. Due to the restrictive government, little is known about the political climate in the country. Not only does the country not have a stable political infrastructure, it scores a measly 0.351 on the Human Development Index, which is below the 0.475 average of typical Sub-Saharan Africa (World Bank).
Sustainable Development Goals
The two Sustainable Development Goals published by the United Nations that I have chosen to focus on are Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture and Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. I chose these two goals for multiple reason. As stated above, the World Bank’s data suggests that Eritrea scores below the average of the Human Development Index. This index covers all aspects of a country’s citizens social well-being. It encompasses the citizen’s life expectancy rate, level of education and per capita income. Doctor Ault, a Thunderbird Professor, and his co-author released a study in regards to developing countries and emerging markets. They collected data from 156 countries and created the “State Fragility Scores”, which indicates how well a country is performing socially, politically and overall. Eritrea is clearly a weak state, lacking in all areas of development and apparent institutional voids. The entire country is basically a void. My claim can be supported by looking at the “State Fragility Scores” in Professor Ault’s report. Eritrea is ranked as the seventh most fragile country in the world. It’s scores are as follows: overall=1.51; political = 1.61; social welfare = 1.42; security = 1.49 (Ault, J. K., & Spicer, A.). Whereas a country like Norway scores at a -1.32 in social welfare. This index supports my decision to focus my micro-level development strategy on malnutrition and food security, as well as quality education, because even though Eritrea is lacking in all aspects measured by the report, it is mostly lacking in social welfare. I believe that to combat this problem, it is no use to rely on outside help, as organizations and investors are usually too afraid to enter unstable, fragile countries. In Poor Economics, the authors told the story of a businessman and his uncle who witness women turn dried sand into profit; true entrepreneurship. “If you have very little, use you ingenuity to create something out of nothing” (Poor Economics).
Micro-Level Development Strategy
“If you have very little, use you ingenuity to create something out of nothing” (Banerjee, A. and Duflo, E.). This is what I want to achieve with my aid and development strategy. Eritrea has very little resources, the only area in which they benefit is their mining sector. Eritrean citizens do not have much support, if any, from the government itself; therefore, I believe the people themselves have to be supported, guided and educated. While the country relies heavily on agriculture, due to extreme droughts there is always a food shortage, which hinders development. Even when there is rainfall, domestic food production is estimated to meet 60-70% of the population’s needs (World Bank). Due to this shortage in food and lacking overall access to food, the people of Eritrea are suffering immensely, especially in the rural areas. According to the World Bank's estimations, around 46% of the population are undernourished. That is almost half of the entire population of Eritrea – 2,300,000 million people are malnourished. My goal is to establish an NGO that provides free education for women and educates them on how entrepreneurship can help them become increasingly self-sufficiency. The article published by the Economic Development Journal on Rural Entrepreneurship as an Economic Development Strategy stresses that economic hardships are felt the most by individuals residing in rural areas, as they fall outside the normal patterns of a larger urban core. Though agricultural is a somewhat volatile sector within the country, dependent on climate, I believe that there is more that can and has to be done.
I would like to partner with the World Bank and United Nations Industrial Development Organization and start an organization mainly focused on the development and support of rural girls and women. I firmly believe that the support of entrepreneurship and investment into a country’s citizens is crucial to a country’s further development, it becomes the agent for change. To implement this change, I want to encourage women on taking over agricultural production, through technological advances and an increase of human capital. Even at the most optimal time, agricultural production is not what it could be. One way to do this is to work in collaboration with dairy farmers, using the cow dung to help increase strengthen the soil, as well as convert the animal waste into clean, renewable energy. This can be a source of income for our business. The women can create cheap, clean renewable energy (biogas) and provide it to households or business, where they can make small monthly payments to use viable energy in rural communities.
I strongly believe that the promotion of economic development, as well as social welfare, will be promoted through my NGO. It will give the women of rural communities a sense of empowerment in country that gives them so little else. Luckily, even though the government is authoritative, it has made promises to invest in food security and agricultural production, which aligns with my NGO’s goals. In the future, there may be a possibility for a partnership with the government or an investment from government into my organization. I believe that the people of Eritrea have to become mostly self-sufficient instead of solely depending on foreign aid. As the country has a growing, young population with no jobs insight, I want to educate and employ them within our organization to further promote economic well-being.