G8 push for development positions Africa for speedy MDGs realisation

Evidence of high rates of poverty, unemployment and other economic woes make Africa continue to attract development assistance, and the increase in this assistance coming from the Group of Eight (G8) countries and other world donors can position the continent to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
Economic watchers assert that increasing development assistance to Africa, if exploited with accountability, has potentials of resolving the economic problems hitherto experienced to attain success in the MDG by 2015.

In line with its commitment to facilitate through funding, the development plans of the African continent, undoubtedly revolves around the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) introduced by the United Nations.

The G8 had maintained at the recent meeting that mid-point to the end of the MDG realisation year target, although progress has been made, there are still enormous challenges to realise the goals in Africa.

Hence, its renewed commitment to Africa's achievement of the MDG goals which it hopes to implement, by reinvigorating its efforts and strengthening partnerships with, as well as encouraging the efforts of developing countries in this respect, based on mutual accountability.

Accountability on the use of funds from development assistance demonstrates economic watchers assertion that past and future development assistance to Africa should influence positively on the citizenry, growing the continent above its current state of underdevelopment and dependence on other world economies for continued assistance.

Given the World Bank's assessment that 70 percent of Africans live in absolute poverty with less than $1 per day, while 90 percent live on less than $2 per day, African economies is seen as vulnerable to inhuman living conditions as a result of poverty.

Inequality, high rate of unemployment, infectious diseases, conflict, political instability, low economic growth levels and a host of other undesirable economic elements is still present in the continent despite the potentials that exists in the continent.

Alioune Sall, regional cordinator, African Futures, said that the challenge before Africa is to make the best use of its resources to grow their economies, while insisting that Africa should not be experiencing energy crisis and economic backwardness at this stage.

This, he said, is unfounded given the endowments of oil in countries like Nigeria in West Africa, Sudan in East Africa, Equatorial Guinea in central Africa Algeria and Libya in North Africa and Angola in Southern Africa. Already, reports are that while 400 million people around the world have been lifted out of absolute poverty in the last few decades, the number of poor people in sub-Saharan Africa is still alarming.

Thus, prompting increase in development assistance to Africa from many developed nations of the world including the United States (US), through debt relief especially in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia, humanitarian assistance, and HIV/AIDS programmes funding.

The United States debt relief development assistance to Africa in 2006 includes Nigeria ($597 million), the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2006 ($689 million), and Zambia ($188 million) which added $1.5 billion to the US ODA figure for 2006. While other US development assistance to Sub Saharan Africa in 2006 was $5.3 billion, higher than that of 2000 excluding debt relief of $2 billion.

On humanitarian assistance to the sub region, emergency assistance increased from $114 million in 2000 to $1.7 billion in 2006, which accounted for 9 percent of U.S. bilateral assistance to SSA in 2000; by 2006, it accounted for 31 percent.

On health, HIV/AIDS programs, precise data on US disbursements for HIV/AIDS programs in SSA for 2006 have not been made available, but preliminary data suggest disbursements of approximately $1 billion, or nearly one-fourth of U.S. bilateral assistance excluding debt relief.

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