Pan-African Postcard

Supporting the Millennium Development goals

Tajudeen Abdul Raheem (2007-09-06)


For the past 6 weeks I have been travelling in the West, East and Southern
parts of Africa. The mission (as these trips are grandiosely described in UN
vocabulary) has been to assess situations on the ground with regards to the
implementation and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in the
various countries.

This being the mid year in the 15-year terminal date set for the achievement
of the goals. The other and more immediate reason for the travels is to see
what preparations are being made by various partners of the UN Millennium
Campaign for this year's Guinness Challenge to beat the record set last year
for Standing Up against poverty.

The UN Millennium Campaign's Global Director, Salil Shetty, led the
missions. It involved meeting with various UN country teams, Government
officials, National Coalitions for the Global Call Against Poverty (GCAP) /
MDG campaigners, Local and International NGOs, Other CSOs, Media, other
opinion moulders, etc. We have been in Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda,
Kenya,Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi.

There have been a number of activities; reports and media focus during July
(the exact midpoint of the MDGs being, July 7 2007, i.e. 777) in many
countries indicating slow progress on a number of the goals. But there is a
general pessimistic consensus that on current pace most of our countries may
not achieve the goals by 2015.

A disproportionate focus on what has not been achieved may actually make one
lose sight of the progress being made and what more could be done. For
instance all the countries we visited have made tremendous progress in the
area of increasing access to education for both Boys and girls. Millions of
children who could not have passed by the gates of a school are now in
School. In some countries they are moving access beyond Primary school to
secondary school.

While it is true that there are issues about retention and quality the
minimum threshold is being pushed. It is now up to citizens to press harder
for better education through a general improvement in teaching and learning
conditions. In a country like Kenya the provision of Mosquito nets has
dramatically brought down the number of people especially children dying
from Malaria. Malawi today is only second to Peru globally in the most
dramatic reduction of infant mortality. In the past four years infant
mortality has come down by more than 1/3.

In Ghana and Malawi the interlink age between poverty and lack of access to
education even when it is officially free and universal has led to
complimentary programmes including giving children from poorer homes a
decent meal in school and also providing transport. These successful
initiatives proof the integrated nature of the MDGs. They are not cocktails
that states and communities can cherry pick as they go along. Progress in
one goal must demand progress in others if the success is to be sustainable.
In all the countries there are sad paradoxes that both governments and
campaigners have to focus upon. As infant mortality is coming down maternal
mortality remain scandalously high. In Zambia, Nigeria, Malawi and Tanzania,
they are so high that it is really amazing that there is no public outrage
about them. If our children are living longer why are our mothers dying
often so young? Who is going to look after these children? How can we
achieve the lofty goals on Gender and women empowerment if so many women
continue to die in childbirth?

While we welcome the patchy and slow progress that has been made so far it
is important to use this mid point year to realign our national priorities
to ensure that the MDGs are met and even surpassed. As a foot ball supporter
and a life long Liverpool one, at that, the analogy I can draw is that of
the European finals of 2005. At half time Liverpool was trailing AC Milan
3:0. As the whistle was blown both managers went into the dug out. Liverpool
Manager was furious and he read out the riot act to his players. On
resumption we saw a changed team who had levelled the scores by full time
and refused to concede any even at the extra time. Finally in the Shoot out
Liverpool won.

We should use the same tactics for our governments. The fact that they are
making uneven progress at mid point should not mean that the outcome is
necessarily doomed. More can be done. One of our Key partners, The Micah
Challenge (a global group of ecumenical churches campaigning on MDGs) has
dubbed their campaign: blowing the Whistle. We need to blow the whistle on
our political leaders at local, national, Pan African and globally that they
fulfil the commitments made under the MDGs.

There is no point in being cynical. 7 years may be short but it is long
enough for all states to meet these goals if citizens insist and continue to
put pressure on the policy makers whether government or parliamentarians or
politicians at all levels. Indifference is the enemy of delivery and a great
ally of insensitive politicians.

On October 16/17 every one of us will have the opportunity to show we care
about the poor and support the MDGs by helping to beat the Guinness record
that we set last year. Over 23.5 millions of people around the world stood
up against poverty in support of the MDGs. You can do so anywhere you are.
Look at WWW.STANDUPAGAINSTPOVERTY.ORG<http://www.standupagainstpoverty.org/>or
www.millenniumcampaign.org for details.

* Tajudeen Abdul Raheem is the Deputy Director for the UN Millennium
Campaign in Africa, based in Nairobi, Kenya. He writes this article in a
personal capacity as a concerned pan-Africanist.

* Please send comments to [log in to unmask] or comment online at
http://www.pambazuka.org/

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