“Poverty on a slow decline in Africa”—says a new report
A new report has revealed that “for the first time since record keeping on poverty began” in 2000, “the number of Africans living under $1.25 per day has declined.”
The number of people considered poor fell from 394.9 million to 386.0 million between 1990-2008, according to the joint report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Union, African Development Bank and the UNDP.
“Africa has made significant progress in poverty reduction, primary education, women’s empowerment and in its fight against HIV/AIDS,” the report said.
Quoting the report, an ECA press statement said, “The poverty rate and the number of poor declined for the first time in Africa. Excluding North Africa, the percentage of Africa’s population living below the poverty line ($1.25 per day) declined from 56.5 to 47.5 percent between 1990 and 2008.”
Titled, Assessing Progress in Africa Towards the Millennium Development Goals 2012, the report states that Africa has made major strides in primary school enrolment, gender parity in primary education, the proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments and a marked decline in HIV/AIDS new infection rates.
However the report has warned that despite the progress, “Africa needs to do more to meet all the targets agreed in the MDGs document.”
For example, it states that “poverty is on a slow decline in Africa" and that "poverty in Africa is concentrated in rural areas and affects men and women differently."
The latest report is the 8th in a series the ECA initiated in 2005, in collaboration with the African Union Commission and other development partners.
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