Abstract

Journal of Globalization and Human Development, Benue State University,2007, Volume 3,Number 1 and 2 pp. 45-59 The paper presents an analytical link between globalization and human development in Africa and identified that in the present epoch, no national economy can be properly understood except as a concomitant, a subsystem of the international economic system whose foundation was laid with the 18th century industrial revolution. A narrow focus on a series of economic interactions at the national level therefore can hardly provide illumination for the fundamental issues that give such an economy in character.The objective of this paper is to identify how globalization has contributed positively or negatively or no impact on human development in Africa. The identified problems are that African countries are yet to be fully integrated and yet to take a unique position in the global economy.Globalisation from the analytical review, is yet to have positive impact on human development in African nations as people’s capabilities, choices and contribution to economic, social and political development are yet to be fully enhanced. Poverty is still ravaging the system; GDP is still at the base level. The paper indentified the need for national globalization strategies to pay attention to education so as to erase intergenerational reproduction of poverty and inequality; to ensure employment with equitable remuneration and productive and choice dimension. The paper recommended the full human capital development to show the following components: enhanced peoples productivity and their full better and enabled participation in the process of income generation and remuneration employment; Equity, which comes with providing accessible equal opportunities by effectively eliminating all and every barriers to economic and political participation; sustainability insures that all forms of capital, physical, human, environmental should be replenished i.e. intergenerational equity; empowerment which entails participatory development among others. The paper further recommended that for human capital development to be fully integrated into the global economy, African nations should focus their attention on purely economic development and reform to transform their economies from mono-product to multi-products, from primary produce to real sector of manufacturing, from consumer of goods to exporter of goods.