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the continuing tragedy of sub-Saharan AfricaMost people today in sub-Saharan Africa still live life on the edge beset with perennial famines, water shortages, lack of schooling, chronic diseases, dilapidated infrastructure, smouldering conflicts, rampant corruption and economic mismanagement. In the 2011 United Nations Human Development (UNDP) Report, in a list of 187 countries, 36 out of 48 nations with Low Human Development are to be found in sub-Saharan Africa. And two more countries, Somalia and South Sudan, had figures been available, would surely have been in this group too. This means that 38 out of the 49 nations which comprise sub-Saharan Africa have been left behind in the development stakes. Furthermore, excluding the island nations of Seychelles and Mauritius, every country in sub-Saharan Africa is to be found from 106th position and downwards in the UNDP 2011 Human Development Index. It is one thing to talk about a failing country but sub-Saharan Africa is a failing continent. And it is almost the one area in the world in which progress has passed by. Yes, the experts will state that many economies there are growing annually at a rate of 4-7% but with the gap between those who have and those who haven't widening, and with ever more mouths to feed, nothing much is likely to change for the majority of people living there in the near future. As a result, more than 750m people are permanently locked into third class citizenship with the outside world unable or unwilling to confront and effectively respond to the issue. And with little or no interest in submitting governments in Africa to greater scrutiny, the leaders of the rich OECD countries will continue to deny the people of Africa the one thing they covet - hope for a better future. And that is shameful. |
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just1world@just1world.org |
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