Quoting Sidi Sanneh <[log in to unmask]>:
Mr Sanneh,
I was unable to reach my computer pass days till today
seeing your pieces worth reading on the African
development issue. I however commend you and please keep
up the good. Edi
> Excerpt from
>           AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
>                    ANNUAL REPORT, 1999
>
> Title: International Development Goals and African
Prospects in the 21st
> Century
>
> Africa enters the new century facing enormous
challenges.  Close to 350
> million people live on US$1 or less a day, and up to
150 million children
> live below the poverty line.  Africa is the only
continent where the number
> of the poor is increasing.  Although Africa’s economic
performance over the
> last five years represents an encouraging improvement
on that of the first
> half of the decade, current growth rates are generally
inadequate for
> effective poverty reduction.
>
> The central challenge for development that confronts
Africa and its
> partners is to accelerate broad-based economic growth
in order to meet the
> now universally accepted International Development
Goals.  These goals fall
> into three major groups:
>
> Economic well being
> Reducing the proportion of people living in extreme
poverty by at least
> one-
> half by year 2015.
>
> Social development
> Attain universal primary education in all countries by
year 2015;
> Progress in gender equality and the empowerment of
women by eliminating
> gender disparity in education by year 2005; Reduce by
two-thirds the 1990
> mortality of infants and children under five years and
reduce maternal
> mortality rates by three-quarters of the 1990 levels
by year 2015; and
> Improve access to reproductive health services through
the primary health
> care system for all individuals of appropriate ages,
by the year 2015.
>
> Environmental sustainability and regeneration
> Implement current national strategies for socially
responsible sustainable
> economic development, in every country by 2002; and,
> Ensure an effective reversal of current global and
national trends in loss
> of environment resource by 2015.
>
> Africa’s situation is particularly difficult because
the growth rate
> required to secure these goals, especially for
reducing is high relative to
> the expectations that would be reasonable in light of
its experience.
> Recent studies have shown that four percent of the
poor in Africa would
> need to move out of poverty each year until the year
2015 to meet the
> internationally agreed goal of reducing the proportion
of the poor by one-
> half by then.  The rates of growth required to meet
the development goals
> and reduce poverty vary among African countries
depending on initial levels
> of per capita income and patterns of income
distribution.  They are
> estimated at five percent in the relatively more
prosperous countries in
> North and Southern Africa, and eight percent in the
relatively poorest
> states in Central, East and West Africa.  Clearly,
such growth rates exceed
> those attained by even Africa'’ better performers
during recent years,
> though a few high performers have demonstrated that
they can reach these
> levels.
>
> Other regions of the world, particularly the Asian
countries, have
> succeeded in reducing poverty in a relatively short
time.  So while the
> goals for Africa are ambitious, they are not
impossible.  There is a
> precedent for change and reason, therefore, for
optimism given appropriate
> economic and social reforms.
>
> African countries will thus need to deepen their
economic reform efforts.
> Sound economic management and appropriate structural
policies that
> stimulate private initiatives, boost the supply
response, and diversify the
> pattern of production are needed to reach the
necessary growth rates.
> These priorities are reflected in the Bank Group
strategy:
> - accelerating sustainable economic growth;
> - building human capital through efficient delivery of
social services and
> sound population policies;
> - creating the non-economic foundations necessary for
sustainable
> development, especially gender mainstreaming,
environmental management and
> the pursuit of good governance; and
> - promoting regional integration, which provided
economies of scale and
> opportunities to pool resources for investment.
>
>
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