Member States task ECA on policies to address poverty

Member States of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) have requested that the Commission should constantly provide them with technical support in designing policies and programmes to address poverty in Africa.

The request was made on Tuesday at the 55th Meeting of the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Highlighting some of the resolutions at the end of the event, its Chairman/Ministerial Committee of Uganda, Henry Ariganyira, said women and youth empowerment was imperative for the development on the continent.

Ariganyira said the continent was enjoined to focus on pursuing policies and strategies that would allow it to harness demographic dividends and use them to the advantage of the continent.

“Member States are called to leverage the agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) to strengthen their resilience to future economic shocks and maintain sustainable growth, create wealth and increase domestic resource mobilisation through prudent and targeted public spending, modernise the tax system and adopt home-grown fiscal and monetary reforms that attract small and medium-sized investors.

The recommendations also urged members to “Explore other innovative financing mechanisms, which have the potential to provide the much needed development finance but remain largely unexploited, like green financing.

“And strengthen solidarity and collective efforts among African countries and ratify relevant resolutions to address insecurity and terrorism threats and ensure peace, security and stability to underpin regional integration,” Ariganyira said.

Ariganyira said member states were urged to scale up collective efforts to increase agricultural productivity, local manufacturing, investment in infrastructure and trade in services and digital inter-connectivity.

He noted that members were urged to revitalise efforts to implement infrastructure projects to support industrialisation and the development of regional value chains.

“Members should invest in digital infrastructure development and create an environment that encourages private sector innovation and attract foreign and domestic capital needed to enhance industrialisation, create jobs and alleviate poverty.

They should ratify the protocol to the treaty establishing the African Economic Community relating to the free movement of persons, right of residence and right of establishment.

“They should pursue people-centred policies and a development path that is resilient, inclusive and sustainable by prioritising investments in sectors that have high multiplier effects on reducing poverty and inequality.

“Consider reforming the education sector to ensure the set skills match current job opportunities in the market, and increase budgetary allocations to science, research and technology to make Africa’s dream on industrialisation and economic diversification a reality,” Ariganyira said.