A Post – Assessment of the Millennium Development Goals on Children and Women in Nigeria

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VII, Issue III, March 2020 | ISSN 2321–2705

A Post – Assessment of the Millennium Development Goals on Children and Women in Nigeria

Nnadirinwa Perpetua Amarachi, Dr. Mfon Umoren Ekpootu
Department of History and Diplomatic Studies, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract: This paper seeks to evaluate and assess the impacts of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on children and women in Nigeria. World leaders have taken various steps towards enhancing human development, by pledging to respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of humans all over the world. Consequently the rights of the vulnerable ones like children, women, minorities and migrants have become an inclusive global agenda. Unarguably, children and women have always been at the centre of international development targets. In contemporary times, the MDGs were the highest- level expression of the international community’s commitment to development priorities, with set dates and indicators for following them up. All the MDGs are directly or indirectly related to the rights of children and women to health, education, protection, equality and a good life. Nigeria, like other developed and developing countries were part of the MDGs commitment and promised to work towards the realization of these goals. Consequently, appropriate steps were taken by the federal Government towards these goals. However, with the aid of secondary data this paper will analyze how far and how well the MDGs set target for children and women in Nigeria were achieved. With appreciable but limited progress of MDGs in Nigeria, the study recommends good governance and proper institutionalization of future development goals.

I.INTRODUCTION

After the Second World War in 1945, the United States emerged as the strongest economy and a leader of the economic system in the capitalist world. The U.S sought to ensure that communism in Western Europe was contained and the economies of Europe will be given assistance for recovery from the effects of the war. Thus, there was the need to create institutions that will facilitate the development of liberal market economies, as well as, order the political, social and economic development in a post-war world. Subsequently, through the Bretton Woods Conference of 1944, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (or World Bank) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were established. The major objective of these institutions was to prevent depression and provide loans, investment and credit facilities needed to reconstruct post-war Europe. But then, with the independence of former colonies from the 1950’s, the IMF and the World Bank became more involved in international development.

Read More