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Morris Mpala, MoB Capital
OUR philosophy has been to explore, dream and discover financial freedom. We have been adamant that we won’t dwell on poverty as it leads to poverty.

Today we are going to break that vow and dwell on poverty just maybe we could change our ways to reach our financial freedom goals.
Poverty eradication is building castles in the air but minimising poverty is a reasonable enough target.

It is fair and just to try to ease the levels of poverty in our societies than to say we want to eradicate it. You don’t have to be a super mathematician to see it is mathematically possible but practically impossible. It’s an exercise in futility to utterly eradicate poverty.

Why are societies so poverty stricken? Why poverty is considered the root of all evil? Why is there so much poverty in our midst despite pockets of great financial well being? Who is perpetuating poverty? How is poverty being sustained? Is poverty curable? Is it negotiable (transferrable)? What are the odds that you will encounter, create, sustain or avoid poverty? Above all why Africa is stricken like it is?

Come to think of it, disease is poverty correlated, so is your health. Financial well being is directly related to poverty or lack of it. Education is poverty related. Average life expectancy is driven by ratios of poverty so is economic boom. Social standing, spiritual awareness, mental emancipation, motivation and inspiration is all poverty related, thus the need to reduce it to reasonable levels in our society.

Poverty exists because we have sustained misplaced priorities. Each and every day we look around it is misplaced priorities or purely lack of priorities. We just do things that we are not supposed to do. In addition please discard the notion that misplaced priorities (especially corruption) is in the public sector only because it is worse in private sector. In any case public sector copied and perfected what the private sector has been doing for ages but since there is no public scrutiny on private sector nothing gets exposed in greater measure as in public entities.

Let me hasten to say there is nothing like government or companies’ misplaced priorities. These governments/private companies are run by individual economic actors so it is these strategic economic factors that have misplaced priorities not the companies they represent.

Policies are individuals and decisions and choices are individual initiatives though collectively make firms or government departments. When we spend big bucks on cars at the expense of productivity then poverty will exist. When management thinks of perks at the expense of the functional productive units then we are doomed.

When selfish ends are met at the expense of holistic ends that sustain organisations then financial trouble will linger on.

I am on record as saying us bankers are “chief sinners” in this case of misplaced priorities it’s the reason it’s easy for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than bankers to see the Kingdom of Heaven. I will stick by it as I have offered evidence beyond any reasonable doubt to that effect in my earlier submissions.

Cash crisis, liquidity challenges, mortgages, interest rates, capital, SMEs nurturing is all about banks if you get the picture.

If all we do is spend, spend even the money we don’t have then we mustn’t wonder when we are poverty stricken. When we import as if imports are going out of fashion then who do we blame when things get hay wire? When we celebrate, promote and reward mediocrity and ululate corporate governance violations then you are assured poverty is here to stay?

When we implement policies that do not encourage production and ease of doing business then we have ourselves to blame. When all we think about is ourselves then poverty will exist.

And when poverty exists then those poverty stricken with nothing to lose will bring down those with excess to reach equilibrium. Poverty is cultivated by us in our selfish quest to reach financial freedom at the expense of others.

The inequality gap between the rich and poor is just humongous and encourages exploitation to the detriment of the communities.

Why do we have us and them? Why do we have that which is meant for them and that meant for us? Ours and theirs?

We spend more time and resources creating divides, rules and regulations just so that others can have more than others based on the flimsiest of excuses. We hoard vital information when information is power.

We build cults and cartels to exclude other players in the economic equation. We encourage limited integration of economic actors.
The few think on behalf of others but unfortunately not objectively. The privileged and elite make errors on behalf of others leading to poverty. The less privileged have the unfortunate thing in that they are not decision makers.

When management or leaders make decisions for other workers (without full consultation) is as ludicrous as an all male panel discussing and making decisions on female issues.

Poverty will exist as long as we never empower our communities. As long as they are not given the opportunity to make their own decisions consistent with their own aspirations and motivations.

Are NGOs’ aspirations in the right place? By now communities should be self sustainable but alas we still have poverty because their objectives are misplaced. They are looking at letting communities be self sustaining by giving handouts. And communities think they deserve handouts than means and ways to sustain their lives. Handouts and freebies are cancerous though offer temporary reprieve.

Is there hope on poverty really? We firmly believe the way out is the mind through cultivating a culture of thinking and making informed decisions. It’s a mind game for all involved from the affected and the penetrators.

In abject poverty we can’t talk about rules and regulations. We can’t talk of corporate governance, we can’t even imagine less corruption. We can’t even talk about empowerment to the youth and women and other vulnerable groups. We can’t talk of value addition, nor talk about total emancipation nor financial inclusion nor socio-economic inclusion with misplaced priorities.

Thus no economy can sustain higher ratios of poverty in society. You can’t talk of morals when it’s poverty galore. It’s moral decadence, it’s shenanigans, it’s each man for himself BUT we all fall down.

It takes so much will power to minimise the level of poverty in our communities and needs all transformational stakeholders’ maximum commitment. Mere labelling and window dressing like using terms like ‘poverty alleviation’ will not work.

Let’s put our priorities right at least have priorities to begin with as the cost to the above is painful abject poverty.

IF YOU LIVE IN BYO PLEASE CONSERVE WATER
IF YOU LIVE IN ZIMBABWE PLEASE USE ELECTRICITY SPARINGLY: SOS (SWITCH OFF SWITCHES)
IF YOU LIVE ON PLANET EARTH PLEASE PRESERVE THE ENVIRONMENT

*Morris Mpala is the managing director of MoB Capital Limited, a micro finance institution with a footprint across the country.