Non-Government Organizations: Imperatives of Public Private Partnership of Societal Growth
Jide Dominic from Yenagoa writes this piece Non-Government Organizations: Imperatives of Public Private Partnership of Societal Growth
All over the world, the contributions and impact of the private sector to the socio- economic growth of every society leaves much to be desired.
This therefore indicates that concrete societal development can be achieved, especially in this clime if the executive arm of government develop a conscious template for the private sector to thrive.
Without any doubt, this has become a global norm owing largely to the fact that the productive sector is a major contributor to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of all nations across the world. Despite the efforts of government in the provision of basic infrastructures like schools, roads, hospitals etc, it is equally not out of place to assert that government alone cannot drive all round human and capital development as governmental institutions are more saddled with the onerous responsibility of initiating and implementing all inclusive policies and programmes that would culminate into the much needed socio-economic growth of the society with a public private partnership driven approach.
From the fore-going, it can be safely deduced that some vital institutions that are private sector inclined and have, in no small measure, been contributing to the development of the society, particularly at the grassroots are Non Governmental Organizations, NGOs.
For instance, the Learning And Life Aid Foundation, a foremost NGO in Bayelsa State is committed to eradicating illiteracy and providing critical skills for sustainable development, particularly for women and youths, medical outreaches for widows, children and other vulnerable people in the society.
In 2020, the Foundation launched a sensitization and advocacy programme at Oyobu clan in Kolokuma/Opokuma local government area of Bayelsa State where representatives of over a hundred families were taught in Izon language on the dangers of the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged and shook the world and how to mitigate it. The Foundation provided palliatives for the people of the community as a succour to cushion the effects of the general lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the distribution of the palliatives, the founder of the Foundation, Lillian Alaere Ebifegha, an illustrious daughter of the community said the gesture was necessary to support the efforts of the state and federal governments to ameliorate the sufferings of the people in the course of the ravaging pandemic which was a veritable channel of Private Public Partnership for the good of the people.
Other visible contributions of the LALA Foundation to the welfare and capacity of the people were the donation of relief materials to the flood victims of both Bayelsa and Kogi states in 2022.
This freewill participation in enhancing the quality of lives of the people in distressed circumstances served as a veritable impetus and eloquent testimony of the resolve of the Foundation to use the resources at it’s disposal with a good percentage of it from Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to act as a critical factor in nation building and development.
The Foundation also formed a formidable team in the United States of America saddled with the responsibility of mobilizing and actively soliciting for financial support from its US based partners and other organizations willing to engage in charity work in not only Nigeria but also across Africa continent.
NGOs are also committed to identifing and addressing ecological and other environmental issues/ threats while nurturing the productive capabilities of the most vulnerable groups in our society, especially when viewed against the backdrop of the dwindling economic realities.
In view of this, it can be safely reiterated that a vigorous and formidable collaboration between the private and public sectors are expedient to drive all round development.
We also saw the practical demonstration of the role of another NGO, Africa Center for Health and Population Initiative, (ACHPI) in the task of moving the frontiers of the socio-economic indices of the people of Ita-Ogbolu in Akure North local government area of Ondo state forward with the drawing of the attention of the international community to thier plight as regards thier health challenges as there are no safe portable water for the people which had resulted in cholera and other water borne diseases in the community.
Beside the afore- mentioned NGOs, the taking up of the common but critical challenges facing the rural dwellers in the most remote and undeserved communities by other notable non governmental organizations both within and outside the country are quite numerous which further buttress the vital roles these NGOs play in nation building. This therefore calls for increased and concerted effort especially on the part of the government to continue to support the NGOs around the country to further foster a sustainable partnership for the overall development of the society.
