Synopsis
Sub-Saharan Africa's turnaround over the past couple of decades has been dramatic. After many years in decline, the continent's economy picked up in the mid-1990s. Along with this macroeconomic growth, people became healthier, many more youngsters attended schools, and the rate of extreme poverty declined from 54 percent in 1990 to 41 percent in 2015. Political and social freedoms expanded, and gender equality advanced. Conflict in the region also subsided, although it still claims thousands of civilian lives in some countries and still drives pressing numbers of displaced persons. Despite Africa’s widespread economic and social welfare accomplishments, the region’s challenges remain daunting: Economic growth has slowed in recent years. Poverty rates in many countries are the highest in the world. And notably, the number of poor in Africa is rising because of population growth. From a global perspective, the biggest concentration of poverty has shifted from South Asia to Africa. Accelerating Poverty Reduction in Africa explores critical policy entry points to address the demographic, societal, and political drivers of poverty; improve income-earning opportunities both on and off the farm; and better mobilize resources for the poor. It looks beyond macroeconomic stability and growth―critical yet insufficient components of these objectives―to ask what more could be done and where policy makers should focus their attention to speed up poverty reduction. The pro-poor policy agenda advanced in this volume requires not only economic growth where the poor work and live, but also mitigation of the many risks to which African households are exposed. As such, this report takes a "jobs" lens to its task. It focuses squarely on the productivity and livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable―that is, what it will take to increase their earnings. Finally, it presents a road map for financing the poverty and development agenda.
Review
Accelerating Poverty Reduction in Africa is written skillfully, with rigorous and solid analysis, a rare mix of rhyme and reason, practical wisdom, and a deep sense for acting together to design and apply solutions to resolve the challenge. In my 30 years of research and working in development, I have come across several treatises on the role of agriculture in driving development. But this work by the World Bank is par excellence in assembling and synthesizing the empirical evidence and makes for a compelling case of how investing in four key areas reducing rapid population growth and high fertility; increasing smallholder productivity in staple foods and leveraging rising urban demand for higher-value agricultural products; improving risk management to reduce fragility; and mobilizing public financing focused on the poor is critical for helping millions of resource-poor farmers lift themselves out of poverty. My hope is that policy makers will read it. --Agnes Kalibata, President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
Poverty is increasingly becoming a primarily African challenge that needs new thinking in the way Africans, in partnership with global supporters, tackle it effectively. This excellent flagship report rightly points us toward focusing action on three key features specific to African poverty: its predominantly rural nature, its fragility, and its inadequate or unequal capabilities. I fully endorse the need for a fresh push to accelerate the delayed demographic transition and to take advantage of new technologyenabled opportunities to take jobs and livelihoods to where the poor are by helping to diversify rural economies and making the informal economy more dynamic and better connected to formal systems. The report rightly emphasizes adoption of risk mitigation strategies against fragility to ensure steady progress and offers a practical guide to prioritizing action. --Benno Ndulu, former Governor of the Bank of Tanzania
The World Bank since its inception has been at the forefront of the gigantic struggle to reduce poverty in the developing world. It has been the leading institution in attempting to measure poverty incidence, analyzing its causes, and suggesting appropriate measures to be undertaken by affected countries and the donor community. While most developing regions were successful in improving the standard of living of their people, Africa until recently continued to suffer from massive deprivations. This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the underlying conditions and obstacles that make it so difficult to achieve the same level of progress in Africa that so many Asian countries enjoy. At the same time, the report documents the recent improvements in monetary and nonmonetary poverty indicators in Africa and provides useful policy recommendations for a more inclusive and accelerated growth structure. Accelerating Poverty Reduction in Africa is a must-read for anyone concerned with African development. --Erik Thorbecke, H. E. Babcock Professor of Economics Emeritus; Graduate School and International Professor, Cornell University
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