Title:
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Partnership for development : NGOs as development partners in the fight against malaria in North-Central/North-West Nigeria
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The processes of globalisation have created an arena for cooperation between nations, institutions, and private sector agencies. Several studies have indicated that among these private sector agencies, are Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)- a sector now commonly referred to as the 'third sector'. NGOs are said to be getting recognition as key actors within the field of development. The growth of NGOs, especially in developing countries, is argued to be a result of the inability of states to deliver basic social services to their citizens efficiently. Thus, NGOs are increasingly included in development discourses as major stakeholders in social service delivery. Against this background, this thesis drew from the hypothesis that 'partnerships can achieve better results than individuality' and analysed Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for health interventions in Nigeria in the context of NGOs' role as development partners in malaria intervention projects within communities in NC/NW Nigeria- bearing in mind that malaria is identified as one of the major health challenges in Nigeria. Three NGOs engaging in malaria projects were selected and used as case studies for this research. This thesis reviewed the debate among scholars on the relationship between NGOs and the State. It questioned the role of NGOs as 'development partners' for malaria intervention projects in study sites. The study examined if these partnerships have been effective in reducing the prevalence of the disease in the study area, and if these NGOs are playing a complementary role with the State or replacing the State. This research findings show that NGOs do not have the structure to replace the State as perceived in some literature. The empirical evidence from the field study showed that the engagement of these private sector organisations is like 'a drop in the ocean'. Therefore, there is no indication that NGOs are, or can replace the State, their participation is more of complementarity. Evidence from study location also indicated that the malaria projects implemented by the case studies in partnership with the State had made some positive impact on host communities. However, malaria remains a disease burden in Nigeria, consequently, for the disease to be eliminated in the country, sustainable interventions, along with political commitment by the state government is imperative.
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