Africa takes stock of national development strategies

Meeting of African ministers and policy makers focuses on action needed to achieve the MDGs

Cairo, 26 March 2006 – Governments in Africa must act now to apply lessons-learned in the area of development, in their efforts to reduce poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals, said African policymakers, gathered in Egypt’s capital for a three-day meeting on poverty reduction strategies.

With poverty in Africa on the increase, there is an urgent need for African countries to develop and implement bold national policies to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. In particular, they must put in place pointed strategies to tackle conflict, food insecurity, HIV/AIDs, and gender inequality, as well as promote education, employment, regional integration and trade.

The central theme of the conference, which began on Sunday (26) and runs until Tuesday (28), is the issue of ownership of the African development process. At a time when the ‘first generation’ of Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs) reach their conclusion, with many, if not all of Africa’s Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPCs), having reached the HIPC completion point, lessons from the past urge African governments to base development strategies on national needs, as opposed to a previously donor-influenced agenda.

Entitled ‘African Plenary on National Strategies for Poverty Reduction and the Implementation of the Millennium Development Goals,’ the conference is jointly organized by the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programmeme (UNDP).

Planned with support from the Government of Egypt, attendance has included ministers of finance, agriculture and planning from at least 37 African nations. Ministers from other sectors, as well as representatives from African civil society organizations, United Nations sister agencies, the World Bank and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) also participated in the meeting.

‘Poverty eradication is more than ever our overarching goal in Africa,’ said Abdoulie Janneh, UN Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the ECA, in his opening speech. ‘The lessons of the past and the challenges of today present us with a focused and difficult task: How can the second generation (or cycle) of poverty reduction strategies build on the successes of the first generation and at the same time avoid the constraints and limitations of the first? What principles should undergird this second generation?’ he stated.

Janneh also highlighted some of the challenges African governments face. These included in particular the issues of peace and security, HIV/AIDs and its associated diseases, economic growth that is socially inclusive, employment generation and regional integration.

“We need to see action, action, action after this Plenary,’ said Maxwell M. Mkwezalamba, the AU’s Commissioner for Economic Affairs, in addressing the meeting. ‘It is our sincere hope that this plenary will propose a monitoring mechanism and action plan, at the continental level, for the design and implementation of national strategies for poverty reduction and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in Africa,’ he said.

Both Janneh and Mkwezalamba stressed the importance of African ownership of the regional development agenda in order to improve progress towards the MDG targets. Success and progress depend on real ownership of the poverty reduction and wealth creation agenda. In that regard, you African leaders must articulate, implement and monitor your strategic frameworks, Programmes and projects within the context on a continent-wide vision of development. You have done so in your articulation and adoption of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). But a lot more needs to be done, especially to ensure consistency between NEPAD objectives and the MDG-based poverty reduction strategies, said Janneh.

Ends

Background: ‘African Plenary on National Strategies for Poverty Reduction and the Implementation of the Millennium Development Goals,’ is informed by the work and findings of the African Learning Group on Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP-LG). The LG was set up in 2000 by ECA in order to provide a forum for experience sharing among African countries on the PRSP process and to suggest ideas on how to best address emerging problems. For more details (www.uneca.org/prsps)

For further information, please contact:

In Cairo:

Max Jarrett 012 187 1105
jjarrett@uneca.org
Cristina Müller 012 363 4505
cmuller@uneca.org
Sophia Denekew 012 187 3182
sdenekew@uneca.org

Or for the website on prsps contact
ECA Communication Team
P.O. Box 3001
Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Tel: +251-1-44-58-26
Fax: +251-1-51-03-65
Email: ecainfo@uneca.org
Web: www.uneca.org