GLOBALISATION, WHO IS BENEFITTING?

The term globalisation is used to describe the growing worldwide interdependence of people and countries. This process has accelerated dramatically in the past or so largely because of huge advance in technology. Globalisation has been condemned by some set of people, they argue that it’s going to bring threat to the world, some even sees it as the mother of world’s ill.

Globalisation has encouraged free trade in terms of Economic Integration to help improve the economy of some countries (many examples are found in the developing countries) through Foreign Direct Investment. In West Africa, country like Ghana is now benefiting from ECOWAS trade liberalisation, but what this is likely to cause a country like Nigeria is that, it will turn the country into a dumping ground and its economy will fall as against its country counterparts like Ghana. No doubt, Economic Integration has increase the income of many families, compare the income of many families 50years ago with the income of families this decade, you will find out that the average income of many families is now thrice what was earn 50 years ago. But that has not reduced the numbers of people living under abject poverty, instead the number has kept increasing and the rich are getting richer.
Interchanging of ideas is an important feature of globalisation, this is symbolised through the internet. But unfortunately the internet is not merely used to spread beneficial information and commerce, some websites promotes pornography, racism, gambling and some even teaches on how to make bombs. It is believe that globalisation will make countries more reluctant to go to war because globalisation encourages making more money but what about those websites that teaches how to make bombs, which the builders will want to test and by so increases the rate of terrorism in the world. Even as Economic globalisation is driven by the desire to make more money, the profit motive rarely takes into account the poor and the disadvantages or the long term needs of the planet, when the world has an unregulated global economy dominated by self-interested countries who indirectly desire poverishing other countries or even humanity in real terms.
Many of African people wants to learn the western culture, especially the American culture; by so any products that comes from that part of the world is highly consumed by many Africans, even to the extent of wanting to live like an American, imagine in Nigeria many of Nigerian youths now form the habit of sagging their trousers. Another example is that of television which has an enormous influence on how people thinks, it promotes materialism, violence and immorality, all these are called cultural invasion. Many of African youths have thrown their mother culture away, some say it is old school, and this trend has been on the increase and one could wonder what will become the mother tongue in future.
Globalisation has brought about new challenges and new problems such as cultural-invasion, widen of the gap between the rich and the poor, job insecurity, bloody conflicts, increase poverty, huge social divide, environmental catastrophe, exhaustion of resources. One could start thinking that has this so called globalisation benefitted Africa and the world at large, come to think of it the problems it brings, it’s just like having honey on top of a bottle filled with bitter concoction. This is my view and will like to share your own opinion on this issue.
                                                                                                                 SANUSI BAYONLE S.