Abdulkadir Mohamed Hussein and Nagib Omar / Elixir Social Studies 104 (2017) 46017-46027 46017
Introduction
The 2012 Human Development Report estimates per
capita GDP at $284 - against a sub-Saharan Africa average of
$1,300 per capita. Poverty incidence is 73% (61% in urban
centers and 80% in rural areas).For several decades,
development agencies have placed great emphasis on
building economic and political infrastructures and, more
recently, security as tools for poverty reduction and
sustainable development. But they have neglected social
infrastructures like education and health as a means to
improve economic growth and sustainable development. It is
because of this neglect of Social infrastructure development
that the study aimed at providing evidence on the role of
social infrastructure in sustainable of Somalia. The study was
guided by the following objectives, to determine the role of
education infrastructure in sustainable development of
Mogadishu, Somalia, to examine the role of health care
infrastructure in sustainable development of Mogadishu,
Somalia, to find out the role of transport infrastructure in
sustainable development of Mogadishu, Somalia. The
researcher used a survey design method for the study. Survey
design is a design in which data is collected using
questionnaires. The study findings indicate that a large
number of respondents agreed to the statement that the
presence of health care facilities in the community improve
on individual development. This was represented by the
mean response value of 3.76.
The study findings indicated that majority of the
respondents agreed to the statement that transport
infrastructure stimulates investment. This was represented by
a mean response value of 3.89. Results from the study
indicated that majority of the respondents agreed to the
statement that transport links between places increases trade.
This is evidenced by a mean response value of 3.86. Based
on the findings from this research project, it is valid to
recommend that education and healthcare are the two
important variables, which policymakers should embrace
when seeking to revitalize the social infrastructure in
Somalia.
Social infrastructure has enormous externalities.
Education and health are social goods in which social
marginal productivity (SMP) exceeds private marginal
productivity (PMP). Therefore, private investment capital in
such social infrastructure is likely to fall far short of what is
needed. In that case, it is imperative for the state to provide
the finance and other complementary resources for the take-
off of such social infrastructural projects. The state does not
necessarily have to operate or manage a social infrastructure,
but it is necessary for the state to provide guidelines for and
monitor its operation (Denison, 2013)
Education is widely accepted as a leading instrument for
promoting economic growth. For Africa, where growth is
essential if the continent is to climb out of poverty, education
is particularly important (N.Ssewanyana, 2007) . The main
asset of the poor is human capital.
ARTICLE INFO
Article history:
Received: 20 February 2017;
Received in revised form:
21 March 2017;
Accepted: 29 March 2017;
Keywords
Human Development,
Sustainable Development,
Social Infrastructure.
Role of social Infrastructure in Sustainable Development of Mogadishu,
Somalia
Abdulkadir Mohamed Hussein and Nagib Omar
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
ABSTRACT
Social infrastructure has enormous externalities. Education and health are social goods in
which social marginal productivity (SMP) exceeds private marginal productivity (PMP).
A country‟s economic development is closely related to the levels of achievement in
education, health and transport. In as much as economic infrastructure has an important
role in economic development, the improvement of social infrastructure is vital for
economic progress. Health conditions play a vital role in a country‟s capacity for
economic development. Education is a vital means of poverty reduction in poor countries
as education gives people necessary skills that would increase their capacity to produce
more effectively and efficiently. Education can directly reduce poverty through
enhancement of productivity and economic growth, which indirectly helps to alleviate
poverty through its positive spill-over effects (externalities) on the society more broadly.
Education promotes the eligibility for paid employment in the formal sector and for their
advancement once the people are employed. Somalia is a country with complex political,
security, and development environment, and much of its recent past has been marked by
poverty, famine, and recurring violence. The country has existed in a state of armed
conflict of one form or another since 1988 and without a functional central government
since 1991 with poor, damaged non functional social infrastructures. After two decades
of civil war and conflict Somalia has had slow progress on political stability, Somalia‟s
economy has been shaped and sustained by conflict with massive destruction of social
infrastructure.
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Elixir Social Studies 104 (2017) 46017-46027
Social Studies
Available online at www.elixirpublishers.com (Elixir International Journal)