Lagos — Germany is a nation that is best remembered for its role as the aggressor in the two world wars. The country was subsequently slammed with compulsory payment of reparations for her war-time roles. But decades after, the country of the notorious Adolf Hitler is changing her image by collaborating with nations across the world to achieve their potentials.

That the world is a global village with the developments and problems of a part of it having direct bearing on other parts is not in doubt. And it is against this background that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) emphasised the need for developed nations to support the developing ones to make the world a better place for all of us. In fact, the aim of the United Nations is to bring together in the eighth Goal, which incidentally is the last of the MDGs proposed to be achieved in 2015, the responsibilities of developing countries and those of developed countries. The Goals were founded on a global partnership endorsed at the International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico in March 2002, and again at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development in August 2002.

The eighth goal is the epicenter of all the other seven goals which include eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; achievement of universal primary education; promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women; reduction of child mortality; improved maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; and ensuring environmental sustainability.

In an extreme departure from her image of the early and mid 19th century, Germany, which was an aggressive nation that brought two world wars on the universe and economic hardships of immense dimension on all the nations of the world and was compelled pay reparations that nearly brought her to her knees, has devised a method to pay what amounts to seamless reparation to countries around the world. Although not compelled to undertake this action this time around, the friendly collaboration essentially with developing countries, is in line with the eighth goal of the MDGs that is aimed at engendering acceptable standards of governance that will make the global dream of achieving the MDGs possible by year 2015.

Nigeria is one of the beneficiaries of these German efforts. In order to work out the new ideals of the German government, agencies such as the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) were established. The GTZ is an international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations. Globally, the GTZ provides viable, forward-looking solutions for political, economic, ecological and social development. GTZ promotes complex reforms and change processes, often working under difficult conditions. Its corporate objective is to improve people's living conditions on a sustainable basis.

It mainly works for the German Federal Government, and its main client is the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It also operates on behalf of other German ministries, partner-country governments and international clients such as the European Commission, the United Nations and the World Bank, as well as on behalf of private enterprises. The GTZ is currently implementing some 2,300 development projects and programmes in 134 countries and has offices in 67 of these countries. With about 10,600 employees worldwide (of which about 1,000 are employed at its head office in Eschborn near Frankfurt in Germany), it has what it takes to rebuild the German image.

Its main focus in international cooperation is on technical cooperation. Its activities are not restricted to technical knowledge transfer alone; they include government advisory services and engendering of good governance practices in many countries. The GTZ assists in comprehensive reform processes and facilitates the necessary changes for political, economic and social framework conditions. To achieve this, it strengthens individual initiative and the capabilities of people, institutions and organisations, and lays the basis for stable development. The Nigerian and German governments are involved in cooperation towards economic and social reforms as well as enhancement of a free market economy. In order for the two countries to achieve their bilateral cooperation, the GTZ, which is primarily involved in communicating knowledge that enables people to shape their present and future on their own, is brought in. The GTZ often acts as facilitator between state and society and as mediator in societal conflicts of interest and assists its partners in formulating and implementing long term strategies. And, as such, it establishes a basis for the host government and people to achieve structural reforms.

Currently, in Nigeria, the GTZ is mainly implementing two programmes; the Employment Oriented Private Sector Development Programme (EoPSD) and the Gender and Good Governance Projects (GGGP). The first programme is aimed at improving the performance of businesses in order to create income and employment and it is presently being operated in both Niger and Nasarawa states. The GGGP on the other hand, is aimed at strengthening the rights of women and girls and this has been in existence in Borno state for quite some time now. Now, both projects have been extended to Plateau state on the invitation of that state government.

The GGGP, which has good governance, gender equality and participatory development as parts of its integral segment and promotes tolerance and dialogue between the various religious and ethnic groups has been newly introduced to Plateau and re-launched in Borno as it is the usual norm of the GTZ. Whenever it intends to bring its programmes, GPZ cherishes the participation of all stakeholders and ensures that the programme(s) are culturally acceptable and transparent.

In this regard, a stakeholders' conference was held in Jos, Plateau state. Attended by people from Plateau and Borno states, it was instituted as part of the process of consultation and integration of the stakeholders of both states into the mainstream of project implementation and management. According to Karl Bruening, the Country Representative of GTZ, the stakeholders were carefully selected. They were people who have interests in the project. They are either gainers or losers and are willing, to a reasonable extent, to determine the direction of the interventions, consumers' attitude and demand or rejection of the services to be provided as well as determine the success or otherwise of the endeavour.

One of the major highlights of the stakeholders' conference was the lecture titled "MDGs in the context of the imperative of gender equality and women empowerment in Nigeria: challenges and agenda for action." Delivered by the Head of the Department of International Law and Jurisprudence, University of Jos, Professor Dakas CJ Dakas, the lecture x-rayed Nigeria's chances of meeting the MDGs.

Dakas said it is imperative to underscore the fact that the MDGs are interconnected, interdependent and mutually reinforcing. He warned that we must caution against treating each goal as an isolated, compartmentalised morsel. He also said historically, women have been victims of discrimination, stressing that as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) rightly points out, discrimination against women entails "any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field."

He claimed that the plight of women in Nigeria is well documented and include widespread and wanton discrimination in terms of access to opportunities, resources and power, obnoxious socio-cultural and religious practices as well as discriminatory laws despite the fact that the constitution forbids them. He said the constitution is like a tissue paper guarantee which has to be worked on to bring it to reality.

Dakas, who explained that Nigeria is not scientifically on track to achieve the MDGs which are time-bound, said for Nigeria to grow to its full potential, all the team members must be involved in the task of rubbing shoulders with other nations. He also said there is need to dispel the erroneous claim that the unequal status of women is a function of biological differences between men and women, stressing that discrimination against women is not inherent in biological differences between the sexes but predicated primarily on social construction of roles and stereotypes that are, in turn, rooted in and perpetuate the economic disempowerment of women.

The university don also posited that good governance is critical to the achievement of all the eight goals of the MDGs, particularly given the fact that governments, at the federal, state and local government levels, have vital roles to play in tackling the developmental challenges that warranted the adoption of the UN Millennium Declaration. He noted that good governance demands a leadership that subordinates personal interests and political ambition to the overriding cause of the people. he also explained that Nigeria needs a leadership that is not obsessed with elections, but plans and strategises with the next generation in mind; leadership that transcends personalities and one that does not arrogate to itself, absolute knowledge, risking becoming power drunk and a ticking time bomb; leadership that is committed to building sustainable institutions, with a credible framework of checks and balances, instead of making sacrificial lambs of those who dare to speak the truth in the face of tyranny.

Dakas also said Nigeria needs a leadership that appreciates the distinction between politics and governance and is not myopic; leadership that appreciates the national question primarily through the prism of primordial sentiments; open, transparent and accountable to the people and must of necessity come to terms with the fact that corruption has become a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) and needs to be frontally attacked, without fear or favour and a leadership that is committed to a rights-based approach to governance, gender equality and women empowerment.

He said civil society organisations have a critical role to play in engendering gender equality and women empowerment in Nigeria and they should evolve innovative strategies, network with one another and, through symbiotic interface, partner with the government in such areas as capacity building for women; working with governments and donor agencies/development partners to leverage the economic status of vulnerable women, among other roles.

These recommendations, the stakeholders at the conference have accepted to work on and the German government has indicated its readiness through the GTZ to assist with. It is now time for the governments of Nigeria at all levels to brace up and stop paying lip service to development plans like the MDGs and the vision 20:2020, knowing that the road to development is arduous and can only be successfully navigated if all the team members are dedicated and disciplined.

The German government has shown the way with a change of strategy from being the aggressive country to a country that is willing to assist others to achieve their potentials. And, Nigeria must make hay while this new sun shines, by turning opportunities created by GTZ and the German government into concrete gains.