Africa: Continent on the Path to Achieving MDGs
By Lilian Museka
Africa has made steady progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), according to a report launched by the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
This year’s annual report titled, “Assessing Progress in Africa Toward the Millennium Development Goals”, shows that these advances went along with bold and innovative policies.
The MDGs are eight internationally-agreed targets which aim to reduce poverty, hunger, maternal and child deaths, disease, inadequate shelter, gender inequality and environmental degradation by 2015.
The report indicates that’s Africa has made tremendous strides in achieving universal education with 76 percent net enrolment in primary education in 2008, up from 58 percent in 1999. There are close to 91 girls per 100 boys in schools in 2008, up from 85 in 1999. Under five mortality rates have dropped from 184 of 1000 in 1990 to 144 of 1000 in 2008. It also shows 60 percent of people have access to drinking water as per 2008 compared to 49 percent in 1999.
Measures used in achieving the above, the report says include the adoption of new and expanded social protection programmes; better policy coordination; and the incorporation of the MDGs and performance indicators at the heart of African countries’ development strategies.
“The evidence is there,” said Helen Clark, the Administrator of UNDP, adding that “When the right policies are in place, scores can be lifted out of poverty rapidly, which means quite simply better lives for millions of Africans.”
The report points to significant development results and the policies that that brought about progress.
Burkina Faso is mentioned to have nearly doubled the number of children in primary schools, while providing daily meals for all children and take-home rations for girls. Ghana has already fulfilled its target on reducing the proportion of under-nourished, increasing agricultural productivity through fertilizer subsidies and providing nutritional supplements and school feeding programmes.
Rwanda was ranked first in the world in 2009 with over 50 percent women’s representation in the national parliament, while in Angola, Burundi, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda more than a quarter of the representatives in parliament are women.
Mali, Senegal and Togo are on track on the HIV and AIDS target, driven by a mix of leadership, awareness-raising and the introduction of voluntary testing and free antiretroviral therapy. In2008, Botswana, Comoros, Mauritius, Namibia and South Africa reached over 90 percent coverage for access to safe drinking water.
But the report still indicates that a number of challenges persist. Maternal health poses a significant challenge, with the proportion of deliveries attended by skilled personnel only marginally increasing from 1990 to 2008.
Sanitation represents another area of difficulty, with the number of people lacking access to improved sanitation facilities representing 50 percent of the population of the continent in 2008, down from 56 percent in 1990.
Others include food prices which is a challenge for a continent that is struggling to achieve food security for all. Uncertainty in the recovery from the global financial and economic crisis continues to impact African economies. And over the long term, the effects of climate change threaten the sustainability of the gains that have been achieved.
Chairperson of the African Union Commission Jean Ping however said the continent had necessary resources to achieve MDGs and called for the need to implement the right policies.
To accelerate MDG progress over the next five years, the report proposes an agenda for action which includes broad interventions to create an enabling environment for inclusive growth. These include maintaining sound macroeconomic policies, promoting job rich growth and boosting agricultural productivity, as well as providing opportunities for vulnerable groups, including women.
Countries are also encouraged to adopt development strategies that are based on the MDGs, enhance the efficiency of their service delivery at all levels of government, and improve their ability to monitor the goals.
The report also emphasizes the need to mobilize partnerships with the private sector, civil society and development partners.
“Given the encouraging achievements made, international support for the MDGs in Africa remains high but it must be scaled up if we are to achieve wide-ranging success,” said Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank Group.