Globalization, Urbanization and Rural Development: The Nigerian Experience

Abstract

Globalization has brought increase in the world interdependence in last two decades plus, as many countries are benefiting from increased cross-border trade and investments while many others suffers because economic sectors are inefficiently managed and this weakness reduces their capacity to successfully complete globally. Urbanization and Rural development are antidotes for Nigeria to really key into the globalization process. The expansion in the proportion of population living in urban areas where all modern infrastructures are reduce rural-urban migration. This paper examines the interfere among Globalization, Urbanization and Rural development at it affects Nigeria. It argues that global interconnectedness has engendered development in the world but that the developed countries benefit the more due to their rapid growth of information technology, solid capital for investment and productive economy unlike Nigeria and other developing countries which are yet to benefit much on globalization due to mono-cultural nature of her economy, lack of effective information technology, inability to connect rural areas to the rest of the world among others. The paper suggests an aggressive rural development productive economy and democratization of Nigeria’s governmental sector as a way out.

Keywords: Globalization, Urbanization, Rural development, Economy, Democracy