ECA - Johannesburg, South Africa — Southern Africa is still grappling with high levels of poverty, youth unemployment and inequality despite good economic performance.
On a positive note, access to education and health has improved, although the pace is not commensurate with the strong economic performance, which has been insufficient to lift people out of poverty and exclusion revels the report. This is according to the findings of the African Social Development Index (ASDI) Report for Southern Africa, which was launched in Johannesburg recently.
The ASDI is a tool developed by ECA to assist governments in tracking progress towards the reduction of human exclusion and in mapping inclusive social development policies. The Index measures exclusion in six key dimensions of wellbeing, and argues that "exclusion in the first phases of life is likely to affect the individuals over their entire lifecycle."
The report focuses on human exclusion, defined as the result of social, economic, political, institutional and cultural barriers that are manifested in deprived human conditions and that limit the capacity of individuals to benefit and contribute to economic growth.
Speaking at the launch of the Southern Africa ASDI report, Takyiwaa Manuh, ECA Director for Social Development Policy Division, said that the ASDI was a collaborative effort between ECA and member States to help monitor human development. "The ASDI lays a firm foundation for monitoring sustainable development as envisioned in Agenda 2063 where our member States have collectively placed a high premium on inclusive development as one of the central pillars of Africa's structural transformation", she said.
Meanwhile, Bhekinkosi Moyo, Chief Executive Officer for Southern Africa Trust called for the inclusion of all sectors of society. "For development to be inclusive and sustainable, it has first to be informed by facts and shaped by the very people who are excluded from the process of growth" he said. Moyo added that effective inclusive policies were critical in solving the challenges revealed in the report. "This report shows that most countries in Southern Africa are battling with challenges of youth unemployment, high levels of poverty and malnutrition. Part of the solution lies in sound and appropriate policies", he said.
On his part, Martin Bwalya, Head of the Think-Tank Programme at the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) Secretariat, said that the ASDI was an integral part of an emerging African resolve to deliver results and tangible impact in the eyes of its citizens. "Africa is saying: Time to be busy doing things is gone, this is time to be busy delivering results", he said.
The Southern Africa ASDI report comprises of eight countries, including Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Zambia. While the ASDI does not attempt to compare or rank countries, the report reveals significant variations across countries. Infant mortality and poverty appear to be the key drivers of human exclusion in five of the eight countries under analysis, followed by stunting and youth unemployment.
The report also reveals that exclusion is predominantly a women affair. Women and girls are affected differently from their male counterparts, which critically affect their future development and ability to participate in social, economic and decision-making processes. However, the largest differences in exclusion are observed across provinces within the same countries, highlighting the need for effective decentralization and policy planning at sub-national levels.
The report makes a set of specific recommendations for governments in Southern Africa to refocus their development agenda in order to address human exclusion more effectively and deal with both its underlying and structural drivers.
