Development support monitor 2009: Africa in our hands

Although Africa attracted $43 billion in private capital, $40 billion in remittances and $38 billion in aid in 2008 it still faces a considerable resource gap. Such financial support, some would argue, is needed to ensure progressive mobilisation of Africa&rsquo;s domestic resources and, in turn, social and economic development. However, do the figures match the international pledges of support for Africa; and are resources being directed in line with African governments&rsquo; professed commitments i.e. to help communities most in need. <br /><br />This comprehensive report is an attempt to to establish the extent to which people&rsquo;s voices are heard in the commitment and allocation of resources by donors and African governments. Five key areas are analysed as indicators of responsive practice: poverty, food security and agricultural development resources for grassroots development regional integration education health, water and sanitation. The authors offer a number of findings/recommendations, including: The recent food-price hikes have caused an additional 28 million people in sub-Saharan Africa to sink into poverty. Appropriate pro-poor agricultural development policies targeting smallholder farmers for interventions at a scale large enough to cause a turnaround in the sector are needed<br /> Overseas Development Aid to Africa excluding debt relief has gradually increased since 2005. However, G8 countries are off their 2010 target of doubling aid to Africa by 27% on average<br /> Grassroots participation is still limited to consultation only. Grassroots communities do not have real influence on actual budget allocations and spending decisions. As a result, there is misalignment between community priorities and government priorities in many cases<br /> African countries need to increase their dependence on regional trade in order to catalyse <br />sustainable economic growth and offset international trade imbalances<br /> Quality of education in Africa is still a significant challenge. In Chad, Madagascar, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo, under 50% of primary school teachers are trained. Burkina Faso and Niger have fewer than 30% of secondary school teachers trained<br /> Meeting the MDGs on water and sanitation further requires a deliberate approach to scale up safe water access points, especially in rural areas. <br />