The Challenge of Poverty Reduction in Africa in the Twenty-first Century

The first millennium development goal (MDG1) is to halve the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day, and achieve productive employment for all. The MDGs adopted by world leaders in 2000 had specific targets to be achieved by 2015. The UNDP 2010 report indicates that most African countries are lagging behind Asian countries, and that governance-related issues are obstacles to meeting these targets. The 2008 midterm reports from most African countries indicate some progress, but there are difficulties in meeting pointers such as full and productive employment. This article analyses the achievements of the MDG1 in Africa, in particular the different levels of success in poverty reduction and the persistence of poverty, and providing policy recommendations to address these issues.