Photo: New Vision Over the next four decades Africa's progress in human development could outpace any other region of the world, but environmental challenges could threaten the continent's advancement, possibly reversing it, according to a comprehensive report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released on Wednesday.
The 2011 Human Development Report, Sustainability and Equity: a Better Future for All, says bold steps must be taken to reduce environmental risks and inequalities in Africa and other parts of the world.
The report said sub-Saharan Africa's average Human Development Index (HDI) rating could rise by an estimated 44 percent by 2050 if recent positive regional human development trends are projected forward. The HDI rating is the report's composite measure of health, education and income.
Such advancement for Africans would put many of them into medium or high levels of human development achievement, the report said.
But "environmental challenges" such as climate change effects and more severe water and air pollution could reduce this regional HDI growth by 12 percent by mid-century, the report said. Human development progress could halt or decline by 2050 if there were a more severe "environmental disaster" scenario.
"There is no scientific consensus on the net effects of climate change on precipitation, given different patterns around the world," the report said. "However, some broad regional trends emerge from the climate models. Africa is expected to see higher than average warming - with less rain in North Africa and the southern and western parts of the continent but more rain in East Africa."
Overall, the report showed that sub-Saharan Africa has had the highest average HDI improvement over the past decade of any region in the world.
Countries in the lowest 25 percent of countries ranked - the majority of them African - improved their overall HDI achievement by 82 percent between 1970 and 2010. That was twice the global average.
Among countries with the most important gains were Kenya and Nigeria, where poverty had declined, partly due to improvements in water, sanitation, health and other living standards.
The highest ranked sub-Saharan African countries on the HDI were Mauritius, Gabon, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. But the continent also has the 10 lowest of the 187 ranked nations and territories worldwide on the HDI: Guinea, Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Chad, Mozambique, Burundi, Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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LOOKING AT THIS REPORT SOUNDS GOOD.HOWEVER THE UN IS NOT WHO OR WHAT IT SHOULD BE.IT IS MY IMPRESION THAT AFRICA HAS DONE TREMENDOUSLY WELL WITH SHEER DETERMINATION. THESE ARE THE WORLDS FIRST INHABITTANTS THEY KNOW WHAT ITS LIKE TO BUILD AND GROW. AFRICA THIS AGAIN GLORIOUS PLACE WHO HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED BY MEN OF GREED AND WORTHLESS MOTIVES WHO CAMESAW DESTROYED AND CONTINUED TO DESTROY FOR THEIR SELF GRATIFICATION. AFRICA HAS THE EARTGS MOST DISTINGUISHED PAST AND THE PEOPLE OF THE CONTINENT SHOULD KNOW THESE THINGS AND SEARCH THEIR HEARTS TO SEEK THEIR OWN REDEMPTION AND GROW SPIRITUALLY AND MENTALY, THIS IS THE TIME FOR AFRICA. THIS CONTINENT MUST SEEK ALL THE KNOWLEDGE IN CONTAINING THE LUST AND GREE OF THOSE WHO ARE NOT OF THJIS WORLD IN MIND AND SPIRIT.THEY GLORIFY WAR AND DESTRUCTION THEY SURVIVE WITH THE LIVES OF MILLIONSAT THEIR FEET. AFRICA HAS HAD TOO MUCH OF A GLORIOUS PAST TO LIVE A WORTHLESS LIFE. HOW CAN WE LIVE ON APLANET THAT ONLY LIVES TO DIES , WHERE LIFE IS NOTHING AND SO CHEAP THAT PEOPLE VOLUNTER TO TAKE THEIR OWN LIVES. WE HAVE LOST A MORAL COMPAS ANDTHE AFRICAN NATIONS OF PEOPLE WILL LEAD THE REFORM . THERE ARE TOO MANY OF OUR CHILDREN WHO KNOWS NOT HOW TO LEARN HOW TO READ HOW TO ADD THESE THINGS SHOULD BE ACADEMIC FOR ALL AFRICANS.EMPOWERMENT IS EMPOWERING ALL THE PEOPLE . PEOPLE MUST WANT TO LIVE FOR THE SAKE OF ETERNAL LIFE . AFRICA MUST FIND THE KEYS THAT WILL UNLOCK THE PROMISES OF WHO IS "OUR TRUE AND LIVING GOD" HE WHOM PROMISES SALVATION LIFE ETERNAL WHERE TTHERE IS NOMONE ELSE WHO CAN MAKE SUCH GREAT SUBMISSIONS.WE MUST LEARN TO PRAY HAVE FAITH IN WHAT WE DO AND REMEBER THAT THERE IS STILL GREATER TO COME. WE MUST SHOW THAT WE ARE CAPABLE OF LIVING IN PARADISE. IFR WE ARE NOT ABLE TO LIFT UP OUR SOULS AND REACH FOR WHAT IS THE GLORY THEN LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING. AFRICA HAS FOUND THEIR SPIRITUAL AWAKENING AND WILL NOT LOOK BACK. AFRICA TODAY MUST ALLOW FOR THEIR PROGRESSION TO BE IN SYNC WHERE ALL THE PEOPLE ARE MOTIVATED THRU RIGHTEOUSENESS TO ACHIEVE ON EARTH WHAT IS THE "KINGDOM OF THE ALMIGHTY" THRU WHAT IS "THE WILL OF GOD" WITH HIS WILL THERE IS NOTHING CAN NOT BE ATTAINED WE MUST USE EGYPT AS REFERNCE IN THESE TIMES . THEY MAY SEEM TO HAVE FALTERD BUT THE WILL OF GOD WAS EMINENT WHEN THEY ALL PRAYED WITH ONE HEART AND ONE LOVE" AFRICA MUST RELY ON THEM SELVES TO REDEEM AFRICA THEY MUST IGNIRE THE WIZE INFLUINCE OF WHO IS ONLY WIZE IN THEIR OWN DECIET AND CONCEIT WE MUST BE WARY OF THE FALSE PRETENDER WHO NEVR SPEAKS THE TRUTH BUT KNOWS THE WAY ONLY TO THE END OF OF NOWHERE. SO!, BE CAREFUL ALWAYS FOR THEIR ARE THOSE WHOSE ONLY WAY IS TO SNARE A TRAP FOR DESTRUCTION. YOU MUST REMAIN COLLECTIVE AND SEEK THE ADVICE OF THOSE WHO ARE TRULY FREINDS , FOR THE TIME BEING ALL YOUR FREINDS AND BROTHERS ARE ON THE CONTINENT IT WOULD BE WIZE TO SEE YOURSELVES FREE OF DECVIT AND CONFLICT AND RISE BEFORE THE GATES ARE AGAIN OPEN. THE WEALTH IS FOR YOU AN YOUR CHILDREN ENLIGHTEN THEM AND ALLOW THEM TO GROW WITH THE HONOUR AND RESPECT THAT IS OWED TO THIS CONTINENT FIND YOUR WAY FORWARD; FOR ALL YOU NEED IS BEFORE YOU.. ENRICH YOURSELVES WITH THE MASTERY OF LIFE AND WISE INTELLECT NEVR BEND NOR STOOPSTAND TALL FOR THIS IS YOUR FUTURE. " MAY ALL PRAISES BE DUE TO THE MOST HIGH" SERVE NO OTHER BUT" HE" FOR "HE" ENRICHES THOSE WHO ARE OBEDIENT AND STEAD FAST. MAN WAS MADE TO PRAISE DAILY AND LIVE UPFULL ," FOR THE CUP OF RIGHTEOUS NESS SHALL THE WIZE NATION DRINK"