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African leaders, like other leaders from the developing world, with the support of the international community, embarked on a marathon race in 2000. Singularly and collectively, they entered a race against poverty, underdevelopment and deprivation by adopting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as the framework agenda for development. They vowed to do all in their stead to win this race. By doing so, they were making a promise to put in place measures to free their citizens from the dehumanizing conditions of poverty.
Importantly, the leaders agreed to a common framework for monitoring and reporting progress towards specified time-bound targets. As a result of this commitment, the MDGs are being viewed not only as an integral part of national, social and economic development plans and programmes but also shaping the political agenda. Although there are mixed results, most of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa are not likely to achieve the MDGs. While progress is encouraging in countries that have implemented sound economic policies and improved their systems of governance, in others where policy improvements have yet to be secured and those still trapped in conflict, progress is doubtful.
Between 1990 -- the baseline year for measuring progress towards the MDGs -- and 2004, the proportion of people living on less than one dollar a day in Africa decreased from 46.8 to 41.1 per cent. Thus, there is a need for all actors to redouble their efforts if the 50-per-cent reduction target is to be met. With a total net enrolment ratio in primary education standing at 70 per cent in 2005, sub-Saharan Africa has the potential to meet the MDG target of achieving completion of primary education for all children, but only if, henceforth, deliberate efforts are made to enrol and retain children in school, including those in conflict areas.
In the health sector, malaria still remains the number one killer disease, principally due to lack of effective treatment and the low coverage of insecticide-treated bed nets, with only a few countries coming close to the 2005 target of 60 per cent. Between 1995 and 2005, Africa has witnessed a fourfold increase in the annual number of deaths due to AIDS, while prevalence rates have levelled off at just about 6 per cent. More worrying, however, is the increasing "feminization" and "juvenalization" of the HIV epidemic and the serious challenges that communities and poor households face in caring for orphans and vulnerable children. In addition, access to life-prolonging antiretroviral treatment remains problematic, with an estimated 4.8 million people in need of treatment unable to access the drugs, in a continent that is home to an estimated 63 per cent of all people living with HIV.
Although the incidence of tuberculosis has levelled off since 2005, the disease continues to be a major killer, especially among people who are infected with HIV. While intensive immunization campaigns have led to a significant drop in deaths from preventable diseases like measles, under-five mortality and maternal health still present particular problems, especially in remote villages far removed from health facilities.
In terms of gender equality and female empowerment, the share of parliamentary seats held by women has registered remarkable growth since 1990. Five African countries -- Burundi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa and the United Republic of Tanzania -- have achieved the goal of having at least 30 per cent of parliamentary seats filled by women. Rwanda, which is an exceptional case, has the highest number of women parliamentarians in the world, constituting nearly 50 per cent in the Chamber of Deputies and about 35 per cent in the Senate.
The race towards the MDGs in Africa began rather slowly, only picking up pace over the past few years. In many countries, there have been attempts at mainstreaming the MDGs into policy formulation, planning, budgeting and monitoring, as well as in evaluation frameworks, albeit with limited success. Many countries have embarked on or concluded conducting MDGs needs assessments, the results of which indicate that apart from pursuing growth with macroeconomic stability, countries need to increase investments in economic productivity and social sectors, especially agriculture. It is encouraging to note that some countries are already aligning their budgets to the results of the needs assessment exercise. Kenya, for instance, substantially increased spending on education, health and agriculture over the last three financial years, which coincided with the conclusion of the exercise in early 2005.
Through the leadership of the UN Millennium Campaign, ordinary people are becoming increasingly aware of the global efforts to reduce poverty and achieve the MDGs. Working with civil society organizations, the Campaign team mobilizes to help citizens to speak out about poverty. The campaign efforts, however, must aim much more at promoting people's voices in policy dialogue and the actual implementation of programmes, bringing their aspirations and experiences to the table, as opposed to merely raising awareness about poverty and the MDGs.

The concept of the Millennium Villages, which is an accelerated and integrated development initiative piloted in countries around the world, holds promise for transforming isolated, remote, poor and underdeveloped rural villages into prosperous, healthy and vibrant societies connected to and benefiting from other regions of the world. In Bar Sauri, Kenya, the first of the 79 Millennium Villages located in 10 sub-Saharan African countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda), maize production has tripled since the project's inception in 2005 due to improved agronomic practices. In the same village, malaria prevalence is down from 43 to 11 per cent in just two years, due to wide distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets and the availability of a functioning health facility within the community.
The challenge, however, is how to replicate and improve the Millennium Villages, given the huge resource outlays for public investments, such as schools, health facilities and roads, needed to achieve the MDGs. Through the Millennium District initiative, the Government of Kenya has embarked on a pilot programme aimed at achieving the MDGs in nine new districts. The idea is to expand the interventions carried out and the successes registered in the Millennium Villages to the district level by mainstreaming MDGs within the district planning and budgeting processes, as well as within local authorities, and devolved funds, such as the Constituency Development Fund. Given the short period of time left to 2015, countries and their development partners need to accelerate the practical successes for nationwide coverage, such as those demonstrated through the Millennium Village concept.
Great marathoners, for which Africa is well known, often change tact at the halfway mark. It is time for African leaders to change tact, for it is no longer merely a race towards the goals, but also a race against time. The United Nations system also needs to change tact by genuinely committing its programmes and resources to focus on achieving the MDGs. The recent momentum on UN reform and the proposals in the 2006 report of the UN Secretary-General's High-level Panel, titled Delivering as One, present an excellent opportunity as a framework for UN agencies to collaborate in a more concerted manner on the attainment of the MDGs.
Complementary policy options and practical steps must be taken as part of this change of tact. First, Africa needs a marketplace for appropriate and proven ideas and technologies, providing a rich menu of options from which Governments, development partners and communities can choose. The UN system is well positioned to support African Governments in this regard, not only in terms of promoting policy dialogue but also for knowledge-sharing; it can link them to the best available development resources and top-notch advice. Such efforts ought to be aligned behind strong political ownership and leadership.
Second, the continent needs a critical number of working institutions at the national and sub-national levels. In this regard, the UN system already plays a significant role in building the capacities of local institutions for improved governance. It should also assist in checking the appropriateness of institut-ional arrangements, procedures and processes through which development is being delivered to Africa. In particular, the United Nations could support countries to deepen institutional reforms, which take into account and are sensitive to cultural and societal values that ordinary citizens can relate to. This would foster a faster response to development interventions and is fundamental to achieve ownership of development.
It has always been stated that Africa needs substantial resources for public investments in order to achieve the MDGs. The Monterrey Consensus and the Gleneagles G8 commitments to increase aid to Africa are welcome developments. Equally important is the better targeted use of enhanced domestic resource mobilization efforts. In summary, a coordination of efforts, including the Millennium Campaign, the Delivering as One initiative at the country level and a more genuine capacity development for the emergence of more appropriate institutions, procedures and processes for governance, will more likely accelerate progress towards achieving the MDGs in Africa. Otherwise, the commitments made in the Millennium Declaration may remain just a promise for years to come after the 2015 deadline.

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