The Third Sector and Development

Abstract

The essay examines the essentiality of the third sector in context of the assumption that it can play a great deal of role in driving development and alleviating poverty in developing countries. It argues that the third sector useful as it may seem in the development process lacks the statist capacity to drive development. It further argues that it is only the state that has the capacity to dispense social welfare provisioning to the people. The historical fact of the absence of indigenous capital in Africa and the state as the primary source of capital accumulation lend credence to the pre-eminence role of the state in driving social welfare delivery. While calling for support for the third sector it welcomes efforts at re-inventing the developmental state in Africa.