Will be MAde. We need A shiFT FroM QuAnTiTATiVe
(Mdg) TArgeTs To QuAliTATiVe chAnge.
”
CiVil SoCiety exPert, lebAnonVoiCeS FroM
Sub-SAhArAn AFriCA
Angola, benin, burkina Faso, burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Côte d’ivoire, DrC, ethiopia, gabon, gambia, ghana, Kenya, liberia, Mali, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, niger, nigeria, rwanda, Sao tome and Principe, Senegal, tanzania, togo, uganda, Zambia1
oPTiMisM ThAT AFricA cAn TAKe on deVeloPMenT chAllenGes
The consultations in sub-saharan Africa draw attention to the considerable human development challenges which remain in the subcontinent, as well as to the unfinished business of the Mdg agenda. but they are also marked by a perceptible new sense of optimism and confidence in the ability of African countries to take on their challenges, and a readiness to explore different ways of tackling them. This optimism is coupled with a strong emphasis on the need to achieve economic structural transforma- tion to achieve more inclusive growth and a better quality of employment for the majority of the working population.
This is seen as fundamental for putting countries on a path that could guarantee greater longer-term self-sufficiency, as well as more sustainable development and human development gains.
This optimism and confidence which permeates the consultations is partly buoyed by recent economic successes: the continent has been registering consistent and positive growth rates averaging 4.9 percent from 2000 through 2010. however, recent growth has been largely driven by a few countries that base their growth rates on their natural
resource endowments. given the lack of domestic means for value-addition, the mere extraction and export of natural resources — while accounting for the growth in gdP — has hardly generated additional jobs or socio-economic devel- opment outcomes. As in other parts of the world, growth patterns have not always — or not yet — translated into equally positive employment effects, and large sections of the working population are vulnerable, with low wages.
consultations in Mozambique, togo, rwanda, tanzania and Malawi point to
girl hub Ambassador explaining the My World survey to the children of eFoTec school (Photo: Mark darrough/girl hub rwanda)
“
WhAT needs To be done To MAKe liFe beTTer For The coMing generATion?
We need To conTinue on The currenT deVeloPMenT PATh: inVesTing in
inFrAsTrucTure, huMAn deVeloPMenT, Job creATion, good goVernAnce And
so on. ciTiZens MusT PArTiciPATe And oWn deVeloPMenT. More eFForT is needed
For beTTer coordinATion And synergy in AsseT creATion. inVesT To deVeloP
eThicAl ciTiZenry, ensure ThAT The Public secTor And MArKeT ProVide cerTAin
QuAliTy sTAndArds oF goods And serVices. deVeloPMenT ProgrAMMes need To
TArgeT The FAMily As cenTrAl Focus WiTh shAred And MuTuAl resPonsibiliTy
For AchieVing deVeloPMenT resulTs AT The household leVel.
”
PArtiCiPAntS, nAtionAl ConSultAtion, ethioPiAthe power that structural transformation of economies could have on peoples’ live- lihoods. The agricultural sector is singled out as the largest employer in many countries, and there are calls for massive investments in this sector to generate poverty-reducing jobs. This kind of trans- formation is seen as having a potentially catalytic effect on addressing economic inequalities in Africa and, particularly, on greater inclusion of young people and women in economic activities.
sub-saharan Africa’s relatively large young population is seen as a formidable resource that could spur further progress, provided that there are opportunities to participate in development.
My World launches in the Maldives with the support of local celebrities. in this picture, Maldivian students vote for their priorities. (Photo: unrco, Maldives)
“
our deVeloPMenT sTrATegy should be on selF-reliAnce And noT begging
For FinAnciAl AssisTAnce As We Are blessed WiTh enough nATurAl resources For
our susTAinAble deVeloPMenT iF Wisely And eFFecTiVely uTiliZed. leT us chAnge
our Mind seT FroM begging To selF-reliAnce As begging is noT susTAinAble.
”
PArtiCiPAntS, nAtionAl ConSultAtion, ethioPiA“
While We Would AcKnoWledge WhATeVer Aid hAs done To our counTries,
buT We should be Able To looK on ‘WhAT iF... Aid WAs noT There?’ And For sure,
We MighT be beTTer oFF ThAn noW. We could be More orgAniZed, ciTiZens Would
be More enlighTened, There Will be sTrong WATch dog bodies And bilA shAKA
leVel oF corruPTion Would be MiniMAl.
”
nAtionAl ConSultAtion, tAnZAniA“
iF There Were More Job PosiTions, iT Would be A WAy To FighT PoVerTy. The
goVernMenT should inVesT in seTTing uP FAcTories And oTher Jobs ThAT cAn
ProVide eMPloyMenT For loW-sKilled WoMen, Who Are The MAin VicTiMs oF
PoVerTy. For us, WoMen’s eMPloyMenT is The Key To eVeryThing, so We cAn
hAVe Access To Food, reAsonAble housing, schooling For our children And
grAndchildren, heAlTh serVices, eTc.
”
woMAn PArtiCiPAnt, beirA, MoZAMbiQue“
There Are MAny neW coMPAnies in The counTry, buT There Are no Jobs
For young PeoPle… A PosT-2015 AgendA MusT bring sTrATegies To giVe young
PeoPle VocATionAl TrAining, eMPloyMenT And housing; We Will MAnAge
The resT by WorKing.
”
young StuDent, MoZAMbiQueMost stakeholders call for a move towards manufacturing and industri- alization, coupled with investments in selected sectors of agriculture, for the creation of productive employment opportunities. however, it is also recog- nized that poor infrastructure (road, rail, electricity, telecommunications and irriga- tion) is still acting as a major constraint to transformation. Participants call for greater involvement of the private sector, as well as stepping up initiatives to create enabling environments for small and medium-sized enterprises.
This focus on economic transforma- tion emerging from the consultations may also be due to signs of increasing political will to form partnerships aimed at investing in infrastructure and economic transformation. For example, the new Partnership for Africa’s development is coordinating with Africa’s development partners and regional economic commissions on infrastructure development. The African Peer review Mechanism, established in 2003, has served as a powerful tool for peer pressure and constructive dialogue amongst member states, which are addressing key challenges related to democratic and political govern- ance, corporate governance, economic governance and social and economic development. in addition, the continent is also pooling efforts and resources in infrastructure development for transport networks and energy within countries and across the region. The consultations confirm a perception that infrastructure needs remain enormous, but countries in the region are looking for new ways of meeting them.
youth consultation session held in the Angola province of Kwanza-sul in november 2012 (Photo: uniceF Angola/2012/samandjata)
“
econoMicAlly, We liVe AT The MArgin oF
socieTy. noT MAny PeoPle buy our WorK,
clAiMing ThAT They don’T eArn enough To be
Able To AFFord ArTWorKs. so We Are AT Their
Mercy.
”
ArtiStS, togo“
sTreeT hAWKers Are ArresTed,
disPossessed oF Their goods, And JAiled, And
The sTArT-uP sMAll cAPiTAl disAPPeArs.
”
nAtionAl ConSultAtion, rwAnDA“
The groWing role oF The PriVATe secTor
To creATe neW Jobs PArTiculArly in indusTry
And MAnuFAcTuring, As A coMPleMenT
To goVernMenT FAciliTATed Job creATion,
is essenTiAl To driVe A More WidesPreAd
groWTh in ZAMbiA.
”
nAtionAl ConSultAtion, ZAMbiA“
We hArVesTed lArge QuAnTiTies oF
corn This yeAr, buT hAVe no MArKeT To sell
iT To… To MAKe MATTers only Worse, There
is no AdeQuATe inFrAsTrucTure (roAds And
rAilWAys) ThAT We cAn use To sell our goods
Across The counTry.
”
woMen FArMerS, togo9 August 2013