In Sub-Saharan Africa, the challenge of reducing poverty amid economic growth

Sub-Saharan Africa is enjoying significant economic growth lately, with the World Bank even predicting that the region’s growth will outpace the global average over the next three years. And contributing to this sunny outlook are higher commodities, increasing investment, and a general pick-up in the world economy.

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However, amid this bright forecast, the World Bank calls for African governments to step up their efforts in ensuring that the economic boom will reduce poverty.

It is not because poverty in the region is ignored. In fact, figures from the World Bank showed that the percentage of Africans living on less than $1.25 a day fell from 58 percent to 48.5 percent between 1996 and 2010. However, the challenge today is how to properly harness the region’s full potential. As World Bank economist Punam Chuhan-Pole noted, “These [economic] trends hold the promise of more growth, much less poverty, and accelerating shared prosperity for African countries in the foreseeable future.”

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The challenge of reducing poverty also touches on the issue of food security. The United Nations Development Program, in a 2012 report, asserts that Sub-Saharan Africa cannot sustain its present economic resurgence unless it eliminates the hunger that affects nearly a quarter of its people.

Africa rising—this is how the region is now seen due to the favorable economic growth it has been experiencing lately. Optimism about the region is very much welcome. What many do hope, however, is that the region’s progress will also transform lives.  

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Planet Aid supports various development projects in Africa that focus on helping individuals and communities. Learn more about the organization’s mission here.