Media Africa Progress Panel highlights continent’s economic recovery
5 May 2011Africa Progress Report singles out importance of “transformative” power of partnerships.
Cape Town – Africa’s economic recovery is strong but characterised by ‘low quality’ growth, according to a new report from the Africa Progress Panel being launched at the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town, South Africa today.
The Africa Progress Report 2011 reviews the continent’s progress over the past year, and looks at the year ahead to identify key trends, opportunities and obstacles. The report focuses heavily on the transformative power of partnerships to drive sustained social and economic development.
The report highlights that African economies have experienced comparatively swift and broad recoveries from the global financial and economic crises, leading to an anticipated continental growth of 5.5 per cent in 2011 and 5.8 per cent in 2012.
However, the report warns that the ‘low quality’ of this growth could threaten its sustainability and is undermining the continent’s development chances. The report highlights that:
- African growth is heavily dependent on the export of primary, generally unprocessed commodities
- Non-extractive sectors and manufacturing industries remain heavily under-developed in most African countries
- Trade between African countries remains too limited – less than 10% of total trade – to offer sufficient alternative incentives for economic diversification
- The current type of economic growth has only limited positive impacts on employment and income levels and is not sufficiently translated into poverty reduction and the provision of vital public services
In its forward-looking section, the report underscores the potential of partnerships harnessing a broad range of actors and their capacities, resources, and expertise to deliver social and economic development across the continent. It highlights a growing number of highly successful models that are helping to mobilize resources, improve efficiencies, and extend access to goods, services and opportunities across Africa.
Speaking at the launch, the Chair of the Africa Progress Panel Kofi Annan said: “The importance of partnerships for development is becoming more and more evident. We know of many partnerships in Africa that work and change people’s lives, but not enough of them are replicated or brought to scale. This report highlights the significant impact of successful partnerships and outlines tangible steps to initiate, strengthen, replicate and expand such models.”
The report urges African governments, international donors, businesses and civil society actors to help spread successful partnership models across the continent. Harnessing the energy, creativity and resources of public, private and third-sector parties will be vital to speeding development in Africa, it argues.
NOTES TO THE EDITORS
ABOUT THE REPORT
Every year, the Africa Progress Panel, with support from the Secretariat, draws on the expertise of a wide range of institutions and actors to compile a concise overview of the progress Africa has made over the previous year and to identify key trends and obstacles ahead. On that basis, the report provides a series of practical recommendations for policy makers to catalyze action and accelerate progress.
ABOUT THE AFRICA PROGRESS PANEL:
The Africa Progress Panel brings together a unique group of leaders under the chairmanship of Kofi Annan. The Panel monitors and promotes mutual accountability and shared responsibility for progress in Africa. Its three focus areas are economic and political governance, finance for sustainable development, and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The work of the Panel aims to track progress in these areas and draw attention to critical issues and opportunities.
While the Panel does not purport to be speaking for Africa, it can speak with an African voice, with the continent’s concerns and priorities as its guiding principles, and with the combined expertise, experience and knowledge of its members. It calls for the fulfilment of commitments to Africa, without ever forgetting that the main responsibility for progress rests with the continent’s leaders and that they themselves have entered into a series of commitments that they need to fulfil.
More information on the panel is available in the About section of this website.