BY MENGISTEAB TESHOME
Ethiopia is one of the countries where the number of young populations accounts the largest proportion of the total population. According to sources, over seventy percent of Ethiopia’s populations are the youth. Taking this into consideration, many sociologists suggest, working on and shaping this proportion of the populations with clear vision and insight is fundamental to nation building as country’s fate is largely depend on the hands of its posterity.
As Mulatu Gebremariam, a sociologist told The Ethiopian Herald, Ethiopia is a country defined by young generation. And this asset, if it is shaped and used accordingly, can be a positive force for growth and can contribute hugely in country’s overall development.
The future of the country counts on in the vast potential of its current and future generations. As a nation, we are still in the pre-dividend phase of demographic transition, characterized by high fertility rates and high dependency ratios. Today’s rapidly increasing child and youth populations
will soon constitute Ethiopia’s working age population. In this context, the nation should focus on investing on the health and education sectors more than ever before because these are assets that hold the promise for reaping a demographic dividend that could lift hundreds of millions out of poverty and contribute to enhanced prosperity, stability and peace in the nation.
“In fact, nation-building is a complex and open-ended process, but that does not mean we should shy away from embracing the challenge. Ethiopian institutions working in various areas are duty-bound in framing the contents and related values to shape the generation”, he said.
First and foremost, further than promoting and giving respect for diversity, we have to build a sense of national belonging that is overarching and which leaves room for group-identities to exist alongside the national identity. Equally, focus on the processes that are necessary to make nation-building a successful undertaking is important. A consistent, carefully designed and inclusive multi stakeholder approach is the core element of this process.
Referring to Brubaker and Cooper, Mulatu said that nation-building is not only content, it is also and to a large extent a process. If we know which components eventually will have to be included in a national identity, and which features need to be left out, the question remains: through what.
As to him, the most important rule to be understood is that nation-building needs to be an inclusive process, which offers opportunities for all groups to participate and to contribute to define the features of a national identity. All identity groups and communities within the country are stakeholders in the process, with each of them contributing from their own reservoir of identity components.
A national identity that emerges in fragile states as the result of a conscious design process will be different from a national identity that emerged after a centuries-long process. For one thing, it still needs to stand the test of practice: Will this national identity be offering identification to people, will it be seen and felt as complementary rather
than competitive or even incompatible with sub national identities? This means that a long-standing commitment to monitor the process of building national identity should be present as well as a mechanism for making modifications. National identity as a social construct is ever evolving and therefore nation-building is a continuous, open-ended process in which there will always be room for change.
He further noted that numerous studies have shown the transformative power of investment in essential services for children and youth, their societies and economies. “In my view Ethiopia should prioritize these investments and believe these could lead to a far bleaker scenario, because the opportunity to reap a demographic dividend is time-sensitive and influenced by policies.
At this juncture, institutions should make sure to frame progressive systems that centers humanity dignity as well various communities’ demands, and translate to the ground through nation education systems and putting zero tolerance to any misconduct to violations, he concluded.
The Ethiopian herald December 23/2020
