PDF (2.0 MB)

eplacing obsolete and inappropriate equipment at ports, developingmore dry ports to serve both landlocked countries and interior areasof coastal countries, and increasing air transport connectivity in thecontinent, particularly for the small island countries. We also need todevelop mechanisms that seek to promote the free movement of Africanswithin the continent as a way of boosting intra-African trade.Africa needs adequate resources to support its development agenda.However, it faces the challenge of mobilising enough domestic andinternational resources to enhance productive investments, boostgrowth, and reduce poverty. This is because aid flows from donorcountries, as a percentage of their gross national income, remainbelow the Monterrey Consensus, which calls on donor countries totarget 0.7 per cent of their GDP towards aid. This suggests that a substantialpart of the development financing gap in African countriesshould be closed through an increase in domestic resource mobilisation.Furthermore, development partners should translate theirpledges to scale-up aid to African countries into concrete actions.In our quest to strengthen our development agenda, it is importantthat we do not concentrate on only the economic aspects of our developmentbut also pay equal attention to the social dimensions ofdevelopment. That is why MDG 7, Ensuring Environmental Sustainability,requires using natural resources wisely and protecting thecomplex ecosystems on which our survival depends. Unfortunately,the current patterns of resource consumption and use threaten tohamper the achievement of the much-desired sustainability. Land isdegrading at an alarming rate, plant and animal species are beinglost in record numbers, the climate is changing, bringing with it thethreats of worsening droughts and floods, and sea levels are rising,fisheries and other marine resources are being over-exploited.Access to safe water and environmental sanitation are vital for thedignity and health of all people, including children and women. Yetaccording to the UNICEF/WHO Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP)about 2.6 billion people, many of whom are in Africa, do not haveaccess to water or decent sanitary conditions, resulting in 2 millionchildren dying from diarrhoea-related diseases every year. Althoughthe world as a whole is on track to meet the MDG target for drinkingwater, Africa may not achieve the target if drastic action is not taken.34 Part One