Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Building civil society

Here's a good example of how civil society is built. It always seems to me that there are good reasons for being optimistic about Nigeria and equally good reasons to be pessimistic. This is one of those reasons for being optimistic.

Thanks to Imnakoya for blogging about this at Grandiose Parlor.

Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu - a Nigerian change-maker

Growing up in Nigeria, Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu spent his after-school hours raising poultry and cattle. After high school, as he participated in youth and citizens’ associations helping farmers, Ikegwuonu quickly became aware that the rural community had little access to information about farming practices and environmental issues…

In 2003, he founded the Smallholders Foundation to provide the rural community with information – via the radio – on contemporary agricultural techniques and environmental conservation. Ikegwuonu, who has a bachelor of arts in history and international studies and a master’s degree in cooperation and development, is a change-maker who fights poverty using new interactive technology.

“We are reaching rural poor farmer listeners living in remote communities of Imo State, Nigeria with appropriate and sustainable agricultural development information in Igbo Language through The Smallholders Farmers Rural Radio…"