21/10/2021
Entrepreneurship and for one to go into one ain't easy! And when we talk about entrepreneurship, it should not be about buying and selling economy like selling soap, water, ice-kenkey, selling things by the road side, carrying loads of things on the head for sale or establishing kiosks and selling petty things like toffee, groundnut cake, chewing gum, ci******es, and others! I have always argued that there should be a deliberate effort to breed and engineer millionaires among ourselves! These will mean that we make use of all available or potential sources of livelihoods, harness and expand their potential, regulate with proper and working enactments, upscale such sectors and see how we can use them as tools to ameliorate poverty! These will need political will on the part of government and by taking steps to removing all obstacles towards smooth registration of small-scale businesses!
For instance, we could harness the potential of artisanal and small-scale mining! This sector when well managed has the potential to support livelihoods of more than 4 million people, directly and indirectly, has the ability to boost local commerce, can complement incomes, facilitates multiple sources of income, and could be a risk averse strategy for many low income earners! The higher remuneration that comes with the sector means it thus has the potential to lift many less skilled individuals out of poverty predominantly in host mining communities! Additionally, the sector can aid reduce irregular migration and thus contributes to curbing brain drain. Concomitantly, they can carry out social corporate responsibilities in host communities and such measures further aid to empower many young people, provide social services and ensure that other alternative sources of livelihoods are encouraged.
What can government do here?
1. To remove barriers that impede smooth registration of small-scale mines. Registration offices could be decentralised and should take at least a day or two to register their business. Many red tapes should also be removed entirely in such processes.
2. Recognise the sector as a major means of poverty alleviation in host mining communities
3. Strict regulation and application of the mining enactments. This can be achieved by putting men with integrity in charge and by dealing with officials who become private citizens.
4. Consciously using trained engineers to train the artisanal miners in responsible mining. E.g in environmental protection.
5. Many others.
When we do these, government's roles as provision of goods and services, ensuring application of the rule of law and provision of security for the citizens are guaranteed. Then the enabling environment is created for people to become rich especially for those who want to be their own entrepreneurs. By so doing, those who cannot become entrepreneurs also get jobs to do. Such folks within the small-scale mining spectrum may then become human resource managers, civil engineers, safety and environmental officers, accountants, store keepers and suppliers, community affairs managers, etc. Eventually, competition is reduced, everyone becomes content, they feel fine and become happy!
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