ENA
3 April 2007
Addis Ababa — Accelerated growth that is pro-poor and that results in the transformation of economies is the key to achieve the MDGs, in Africa, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said.
Speaking at the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development at the UN Conference Centre yesterday, Prime Minister Meles said pro-poor growth is clearly at the center of Africa's efforts to achieve the MDGs.
He said the MDGs are goals that cover not only economic but social issues, as well.
At the core of all these goals is reducing poverty, he said. "It is only by accelerating growth that we can make a sustainable dent not only on the economic indicators of poverty, but also on the social ones."
Meles said Africa needs not only accelerated growth but also one which is equitable.
Thus, he said, accelerated growth that is pro-poor and results in the transformation of economies is the key instrument that African countries need to achieve the MDGs.
United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Abdoulie Janneh on his part said recent assessments indicate that although Africa is making progress towards the MDGs, the rate of progress is so slow that the region as a whole is at risk of not meeting the goals.
He said the attainment of the MDGs for most African countries will depend on the ability to resolutely tackle key challenges.
Janneh said though challenges will inevitably vary, sustaining economic growth, scaling up development financing and public sector investments, getting the right environment policy, managing the risks of globalization as well as ensuring peace and security are the five interrelated categories of challenges facing most African countries.
He said: "It is essential that all of us, rich and poor, educated and non-educated alike, regard the MDGs as our ends". Thus far, Janneh said, most of the activity and deliberations on the MDGs have been carried out at the level of governments and donors, with very little grassroots participation. He said success will depend critically on the involvement of all citizens.
The conference is being held on the theme: Accelerating Africa's Growth and Development to Meet the MDGs: Emerging Challenges and The Way forward.
African finance Ministers, former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, President of the African Development Bank, academics and researchers, invited guests and numerous diplomats are taking part in the conference.
The Conference of Ministers is organized by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) annually.
Meanwhile, Senator James M. Inhofe said that the The U.S. government supports the measure Ethiopia has taken to avert the danger that had been posed on it by extremists in Somalia.
After talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi here on yesterday, Senator Inhofe told journalists that Ethiopia's measure of defence against the danger posed on it by the extremist force in Somalia was commendable.
Ethiopia's measure made possible the deployment of the Ugandan peacekeeping mission, in the framework of AMISOM, where there are expectations that Nigeria and Ghana will follow suit, Senator Inhofe said.
He stressed on need for African nations and governments to provide the necessary support towards the realization of peace in Somalia and the diffusion of problems in the horn of Africa country.
He said his discussions with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi included the Ethio-U.S. bilateral cooperation, which he described is "very good".
He called for enhancement of such cooperation in various fields.
During talks, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said remnants of the fundamentalist force have begun activities of attack on the Uganda peacekeeping force.
He said Ethiopia and Somalia governments fetched that a political solution should be found to settle the problem in Somalia sustainably.
As part of efforts to bring about sustainable peace, a Somali national reconciliation conference will soon be held, a senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted Meles as saying.
About 3,000 Somalis are expected to attend the conference, 500 of whom will be Diasporic Somalis.
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