African Culture and Economy of Communion

Abstract

Religion and economic issues permeate theological discourses today. Religious faith influences the public sphere in many developing countries. It is observable that religious commitments could engineer economic and cultural transformation. Why poverty persists in many religiously dense countries like Nigeria poses a great challenge to both economists and theologians. It seems that faith is not translated into economic transformation and empowerment of citizens. This chapter examines whether religious commitment is contributing towards poverty or wealth creation. Following descriptive theological method, the chapter proposes a theology of economic communion as an engine for economic transformation and poverty alleviation in Nigeria. It recommends the idea of God as “trinity of persons” as a paradigm of sharing human and material resources, technology transfer, and capacity building. The chapter concludes by calling on all religious people to form networks of partnership to strengthen community-based enterprises in order to create collective wealth for their members.