sharing experiences between asia and the pacific and western and central africa achieving the...
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Sharing experiences between Asia and the Pacific and Western and Central Africa
Achieving the Millennium Development Goal of Halving Poverty by 2015
Successes, Challenges and Perspectives for Western and Central Africa
Sharing experiences between Asia and the Pacific and Western and Central Africa
Achieving the MDGs is a major challenge
• Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa will have difficulty reaching the MDGs as average per capita incomes must grow by 4 to 5% annually
(Human Development Report 2004)
• However, the annual per capita growth rates required vary greatly:
– The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia and Sierra Leone require more than 8%
– Guinea-Bissau requires 11.7%, while Benin only needs 0.8%
Sharing experiences between Asia and the Pacific and Western and Central Africa
Proportion of undernourished in total population
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
TogoSierra Leone
SenegalNigeria
NigerMauritania
MaliLiberia
GuineaGhana
Gambia Côte d'Ivoire
Burkina FasoBenin
Subregion
Proportion (%)
1990-1992
1995-1997
2000-2002
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Gabon
DR Congo
Congo
Chad
CAR
Cameroon
Subregion
Proportion (%)
1990-1992
1995-1997
2000-2002
Improvements in West Africa, but broad divergences among countries
Crisis in DR Congo outweighs performance in other Central African countries
West Africa
Central Africa
Sharing experiences between Asia and the Pacific and Western and Central Africa
Successes in agriculture
• Expansion of food crop production and marketing, based on demand-oriented, participatory scaling up of innovative technologies
NERICA, cassava, cowpea, millet and sorghum
• Expansion of agricultural exports from West Africa cotton, cocoa, fruits and vegetables
• Natural resource management: widespread adoption of soil and water conservation practices in semi-arid zones
Sharing experiences between Asia and the Pacific and Western and Central Africa
Cereal yields, 1961-2001
1961 1971 1981 1991FAOSTAT (2001)
China
South Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa
0
2
4
6
Tons
per
hec
tare
2001
Sharing experiences between Asia and the Pacific and Western and Central Africa
Fertilizer nutrient consumption
NetherlandsVietnam
JapanUK
ChinaFranceBrazil
USAIndia
South AfricaCuba
BeninMalawi
EthiopiaMali
Burkina Faso
NigeriaTanzania
Mozambique
GuineaGhana
Uganda0 100 200 300 400 500 600 Kg/ha
Sources: FAOSTAT (July 2002); Norman Borlaug (2004)
Sub-Saharan African countries use less than 10 kg/ha of fertilizer
(versus an average of 100-200 kg/ha in Asia)
Sharing experiences between Asia and the Pacific and Western and Central Africa
Insufficient infrastructure
• Africa’s road density today is lower than India’s in 1960
– Colonial transport infrastructure was designed to exploit commodity resources, resulting in underdeveloped networks
• High transportation costs: To move 1 ton of fertilizer 1 000 km requires:
USD 15 in the United States USD 30 in India USD 100 in sub-Saharan Africa Double if truck returns empty
(Vijay Modi, Columbia University)To move 1 ton
of maize requires: USD 50 from Iowa to Mombasa (13 600 km) USD 100 from Mombasa to Kampala (900 km)
(World Bank)
The proportion of transportation costs of retail prices of cassava in Central Africa amounts to 60%
(IFAD)
Sharing experiences between Asia and the Pacific and Western and Central Africa
Political dynamics
• Regional political collaboration and economic integration (AU, NEPAD, ECOWAS, ECCAS, UEMOA, CEMAC)
• Major strides taken in democratization and civil society development in many countries, but further need to:
• raise the capacities of organizations, build synergies and cohesion at the grass-roots level, and strengthen linkages between the different levels
• make decentralization responsive and accountable to rural people• exploit information technology for increased transparency
• Ongoing post-conflict recovery, e.g. in DR Congo, the Congo and Sierra Leone
Sharing experiences between Asia and the Pacific and Western and Central Africa
Key challenges
• Population growth and urbanization provide challenges but also market opportunities and incentives
Over 50% of sub-Saharan African populations will be urban by 2025
• Social linkages reducing vulnerability are increasingly replaced by individualistic livelihood strategies
Reduced reciprocal exchange of family labour Transformation of access to natural and financial assets Market economy and technical innovations, which can weaken
women’s traditional rights and entitlements without promoting acceptable alternatives
Sharing experiences between Asia and the Pacific and Western and Central Africa
Creating an enabling environment for achieving the MDGs
• Peace and stability are a prerequisite
• Decentralization policies need to be implemented
• Enhancing poverty responsiveness of public institutions
• Stronger public investment in the agricultural and rural sector (Maputo pledge)
• Development of domestic and regional markets through trade policies and infrastructure investments
• Sustainable rural financial mediation
• Increased agricultural production and processing in response to market opportunities linked to growing domestic and regional urban demand
Sharing experiences between Asia and the Pacific and Western and Central Africa
Perspectives from Asia
• Significant increase in infrastructure investments, linking agricultural areas to national and regional transportation systems
• Approach to human capital development with focus on labour productivity and strong institutions
• Importance of broad-based growth to prevent deepening of inequity and conflict (especially in mineral-rich and oil-exporting countries)
• Country ownership in defining development paths