| High targets to spur Africa’s growth: Advice | Send to a friend |
| Monday, 30 January 2012 21:42 |
|
Addis Ababa. African countries must set very high economic growth targets for them to get out of poverty and overdependence. A senior adviser to Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Mr Newai Gebread, said this in Addis Ababa recently at a steering committee meeting of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) over which he presided. “It is very important that we set our targets as high as possible,” he said, Africa’s growth rate should be in double digits, above the five or seven per cent annual growth it is currently recording, he added. According to Prof. Emmanuel Nnadozie, a director at the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) to achieve such a robust expansion, Africa would require a strong and visionary leadership. Prof. Nnadozie, the director in charge of the Commission’s Economic Development and Nepad Division, said the growth required must be sustainable, be able to create jobs for African youth and preserve the environment. He commended the Ethiopian government for maintaining an annual growth rate of more than 10 per cent. “It is good news for Africa,” he said. The Nepad Agency, the technical arm of the African Union, plans to consolidate collaboration with African countries and regional economic communities this year to fast track development projects, CEO Ibrahim Mayaki said at the meeting. To achieve this, the Agency would renew and actively engage in dialogue with Nepad national offices and focal points in various African countries, said Dr Mayaki. Among other things, the body has in the past 10 years helped African countries improve the agricultural sector through its AU-Nepad Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme. “Ten countries registered annual growth rate in agriculture of at least six per cent in the second half of 2011, eight countries had reached and surpassed the 10 per cent budgetary allocation target, while nine were in the five to ten per cent range,” Dr Mayaki indicated. Great strides were also made in other areas, including gender equality, climate change, integration and infrastructure, capacity development he said, noting, “The outlook for performance for 2012 is brighter.” (Agencies) Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
