However much the government or people of a poor country wish to consign poverty to the dust bins of history, wishing alone can not guarantee the achievement of this lofty goal. It is only when the problems which stand in the way are identified and systematically dealt with that this dream can come true.

There are several factors which are obstacles in the effort to develop a country and rid it off poverty. Though it is difficult to list them all here, corruption and lack of capacity figure prominently among them.

Corruption, in the context of Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in the world, involves engaging in such acts as those undertaken in disregard of one's obligation to serve the public with integrity and a sense of responsibility as well as the duty to give precedence to public interest rather than one's personal interest.

As a malaise which lays to waste a nation's resources, time and knowledge base, corruption is holding back Ethiopia's development. It is spreading its tentacles in governmental institutions, NGOs and the private sector; it is expanding its stronghold from cities to rural areas. As a result, it has become a formidable enemy of the country.

The enormity of the problem can be easily appreciated from the information disclosed by the government regarding the scams involving the gold sold to the National Bank of Ethiopia and land provisioning. Passing off steel as gold and issuing ten title deeds for the same plot of land clash head on with development endeavors.

We mentioned the above instances for illustrative purposes only. If a roll call was made for any organization which considers itself to be corruption to raise their hands, none would dare to do so.

Another factor which, like corruption, retards development and needs to be addressed seriously is the lack of capacity at every level to execute one's task properly. By capacity we are not referring to the possession of the rate "impressive" educational credentials. We are presently seeing numerous "intellectuals" who have no capacity whatsoever.

Do government officials starting from the Prime Minister down to ministers, commissioners, CEOs, department and section heads possess the capacity to effectively discharge the responsibilities they are entrusted with? What about our ambassadors, teachers, military and police officers etc? Do they have the ability to accomplish properly the tasks that are assigned to them?

If these persons lack the capacity commensurate with their responsibility, there is no arguing that the job is not getting done. If the job is not getting done, there can be no development or justice. There can be no success without hard work.

There are two distinct categories of persons when it comes to capacity. On the one hand there are those who properly discharge their duties and demonstrate effective leadership. These persons in fact are seen building and strengthening the existing low capacity. There are individuals who, though they are not deemed to have the required capacity due to their "low-level" education, have shown that they have the capacity and can deliver.

On the other hand, there are persons occupying both low-level and high-level offices who are unable to do their jobs properly, who are unaware of strengths and weaknesses of the institutions they head, who do not have an understanding of global conditions and the context in which they work, who shun contact with anyone with a view to conceal these problems and who in general neither do the job or facilitate conditions for those who can.

Their lack of capacity is harming the nation. This problem becomes even more dangerous when aggravated by corruption. Even if officials are above corruption, the very fact that they lack capacity is an impediment to development since it results in the wastage of resources and time.

It is up to all Ethiopians to exert a joint effort to do away with these problems. It is through the coordinated action of the government and the public that corruption can be successfully combated. It is, however, the government's responsibility to take the lead and create a strong capacity in this fight; it should stand by anyone who is determined to combat corruption. The public, on its part, should expose those involved in corruption; investors make it a matter of policy to refuse to give bribes.

When it comes to appointing officials the government should carefully consider the merits of the appointees. It would be disastrous to appoint incompetent officials on considerations other than their capacity. A case in point is the practice of assigning persons to positions of responsibility solely on the basis of their ethnic background so as to ensure ethnic diversity in government portfolios. This practice is ultimately counter-productive and should be discontinued. It would be better to adopt this policy after creating the necessary capacity.

We are suffering at the hands of poverty. Life is becoming increasingly difficult. Development and survival are the burning issues of our people today. Any corrupt and incompetent office holders who stand in the way of the achievement of these goals should immediately be removed.