Financing Community Development: “Nkushi-Nkwu” – A Self-Help Fund-Raising Activity Among the Igbo of Nigeria

Abstract

Self-help is at the heart of Igbo community development efforts. This may possibly have a pre-colonial background; but  it became a norm from the colonial period following the introduction of currency and taxes and the people’s efforts to  evolve ways of meeting these new demands. The involvement of the Igbo in the Nigeria Civil War, which led to the destruction of their public infrastructure, also added impetus to it as successive governments either disappointed or  delayed with the rebuilding of the infrastructure. However, at the core of the Igbo selfhelp is their almost total reliance  on collective fund-raising encapsulated in Nkushi-Nkwu (collective palm harvesting). Adopting the complexity, empowerment and basic needs theories, this article discusses the principles, organization and intrigues associated with  Nkushi-Nkwu, even as it relies on historical methodology, which emphasizes both primary and secondary sources of  information and data collection. It was found that what determines the success or otherwise of this fund-raising activity is the ability to achieve a near consensus of opinion for participation, which is determined by the quality of leadership  available in the community. As well, Nkushi-Nkwu has undergone several transformations among the different  communities of south eastern Nigeria. The paper concludes that so long as self-help remains the core of Igbo  community development efforts for so long will Nkushi-Nkwu remain its driving force.