‘Poverty deepening in Sub-saharan Africa’ Ultimate Media
A Commissioner on the Blair Commission for Africa has said poverty is deepening in sub- Saharan Africa despite the available structural adjustment reforms in basic economic infrastructure such as agriculture.
Dr. William Kalema, who was speaking during the Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA), meeting held at Hotel Africana recently said the number of poor people is expected to rise from 315 million recorded in 1999 to 404 million people by 2015. (more…)
IMF-World Bank meet draws attention on Africa
Winching to fore the plight of Africa at this year’s IMF-World Bank annual meet, the Governor of the Fund for Congo, Andre Philippe Futa, said the world was “inter-dependent, where what happens in one region will affect the rest.”
Starting off with a poser: “Why focus on Africa”, he explained, “It was the only region where people are poorer today than they were 30 years ago.”
“In Africa, poverty is being exacerbated by the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria, lack of basic services and infrastructure, corruption and poor governance, violence and a technology deficit,” he explained. (more…)
Climate change hurts Africa most, scientists say
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Africa contributes least to global climate change, but is bearing the brunt of the phenomenon that is expected to exacerbate food shortages in the long term, scientists warned on Thursday.
Global warming has been blamed for increased cycles of drought across Africa, where millions this year face hunger and starvation.
Yet the world’s poorest continent has the lowest levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, scientists said at a conference in Nairobi. (more…)
Africa needs visionary leadership: AU commissioner
The African Union (AU) said Thursday Africa needs visionary leadership to advance its level of development.
“If Africa is to move from poverty to advanced level of development, there is the need to have visionary leadership and commitment on the part of government and stakeholders,” said Bience Gawanas, AU commissioner for social affairs, at a one-day regional conference of labor ministers.
She said there must be good governance, long-term planning, appropriate policies and structures to implement programs and for proper management of material, human and financial resources. (more…)