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. > > -------------------------------------------------------- -------------------- > > To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L > Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > > -------------------------------------------------------- -------------------- > ----------------------------------------------------- Sent via IMP @ Kymenlaakso Polytechnic, http://chiana.kyamk.fi/ IMP homepage: http://web.horde.org/imp/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------