Africa Progress Panel chairperson Kofi Annan says the launch of the Africa Progress Report 2013 is about talk on aspirations and opportunities for Africa, about the continent’s potential wealth, the moral and economic imperative to share the work (report) with the continent’s citizens.
Addressing the launch session at the World Economic Forum, Annan says Africa’s vast oil, gas and mining resources remain largely untapped. At the same time Africa is riding the crest of the global commodity slate. He says natural resource exports have propelled the region into the world’s high growth peak.
Good news, Annan says, is that strong demand in emerging markets is likely to drive at least another decade of high prices for Africa’s natural resources. “Foreign investment, which reached record levels over the past few years, is likely to continue this growth, meaning African policy makers have credible choices to make.
“They can either invest in people by creating job security for millions of future generations or they can squander the opportunity and allow jobless growth and allow the gap between the rich and poor to widen.”
According to Annan, Africa’s resource wealth can lift millions out of poverty, it can build shared prosperity and hope to future generations. “This is eminently possible, but needs bold leadership, strengthened governance leadership and the rule of law.”
Meanwhile, Africa Progress Panel Executive Director Caroline Kende-Robb says the panel, made up of 10 individuals from both the private and public sectors, probes Africa’s development by tracking progress, throwing attention to opportunities and catalysing action. She adds that panel members work for policy-makers across the globe and in Africa.
She points out that the launched report focuses on how to transform natural resource wealth into better human development outcomes, one of the challenges identified for Africa. She says: “Interestingly, the report this year highlights a unique opportunity to tackle some of the challenges associated with the resource sector. What’s seen through the report is that there’s an emerging potential per shared agenda.”
AUDIO: Kofi Annan on the launch of the Africa Progress Report 2013
DOCUMENT: Click on the link below to view the full report.
VISUALISATION: Prominent key words from the 2013 Africa Progress Report
VISUALISATION: Prominent key words from the 2012 Africa Progress Report
– By Tshepo Tsheole, Cape Town
