A new report on the Millennium Development Goals published by the Economic Commission for Africa says that despite widespread pessimism, some African countries are on course to meet key Goals and that with the right policies, many more could meet the target date of 2015.
The report says countries such as Ghana, Botswana, Uganda and Burkina Faso are likely to achieve Goal One of halving poverty by the deadline. Many more countries remain far behind, but the report argues that their governments can be successful at reducing extreme poverty if they use the MDGs as a tool in shaping their development policies.
The report, entitled 'The Millennium Development Goals in Africa - Progress and Challenges" , has been issued to coincide with the World Summit at UN headquarters in New York from 14-16 September.
"What this report shows is that it's important to look closely at what's happening in each country," says K.Y. Amoako, ECA's Executive Secretary. "Africa does need to make much faster progress and we're showing a way forward; but the impression is sometimes given that there is no progress to report. That is wrong."
Africa's slow pace of development has been well-documented. While other regions have registered significant progress, some African countries have even suffered reverses in crucial areas. Adult life expectancy, for example, has declined from 50 to 46 years. It is clear that sub-Saharan Africa as a whole will not achieve the MDGs by the target date of 2015.
Yet, as the report shows, the MDGs have served as a catalyst to spur sluggish programmes that can bring the continent closer to its development aims. And where the right policies are not in place, the Goals can provide new impetus to reverse the deterioration in human development.
For example, the MDGs are incorporated into the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), the blueprint endorsed by the African Union for economic progress on the continent.
Meanwhile, there are successes to report. Egypt and Gambia have sharply reduced maternal mortality (Goal 5) by investing in the training of birth attendants and midwives, while Rwanda, Zimbabwe and Gabon are likely to meet Goal 2 in achieving universal primary education.
Research conducted by ECA demonstrates that North African countries will mostly meet the Goals by 2015, and some sub-Saharan states, such as Botswana, Rwanda, Uganda and Gambia are well on track to achieving several of the targets.
The report contains graphs and charts to illustrate the findings, and makes a number of recommendations to get Africa back on track. These include bridging the financing gap, easy, "quick win" strategies for immediate results, investing in infrastructure, boosting the private sector and streamlining governance.
There are no quick-fix solutions, but where governments show political will and commitment, the Goals can kickstart solid progress.
Read the report here.
Read more about Africa's progress on the MDGs here.
