Poverty Traps and Impending Security Challenges: An African Perspective

Abstract

Recognizing the enormous challenges facing the global community to eradicate poverty, the international development community in 2000 adopted specific targets for poverty reduction, now known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The overarching goal was to halve income poverty worldwide by 2015. Despite the commitments contained in the MDGs, poverty and hunger is on the increase, and disparity between the rich and the poor, between and within nations widening. With the number of poor persons on the rise in Africa, a favourable condition conflicts is created. This is unarguably a security challenge. This paper posits that the challenge of poverty and its accompanying challenge further entraps Africa and deepens the continent and the lives of its people in the vortex of security crisis.. Adopting the quantitative and qualitative method of historical analysis, the paper recommends that improved commitment to poverty reduction, peace and security is imperative.