Focus on Poverty in Africa

Africa is the one continent where progress towards poverty reduction, let alone the Millennium Development Goals, has gone backward over the past two decades.

Since 2001, the leaders of the G8 (UK, Canada, USA, Russia, France, Germany, Japan, Italy) have embarked on a special commitment to Africa that resulted in the G8 Africa Action Plan and the Africa Partnership Forum (APF). 

In 2005, the Commission for Africa project, led by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, arguably galvanised this project through the production of a welcome report, which drew on the expertise of African nations, as well as other countries. 

Despite controversies of whether or not the report was new for Africa, it has since become the point of reference for Africa’s donor partners. This is evident in the several Africa Action plans that have emerged since 2005, including the new European Union - Africa Action Plan as well as the World Bank’s Strategic Plan for Africa.

In the context of all these new commitments and initiatives, World Vision considers the Africa Partnership Forum to be key. At the same time we have highlighted the shortcomings of the current system, and the need to invest in developing civil society and greater accountability between African governments and their own citizens, as this is the only long-term solution to ensuring Africa’s development and successful poverty reduction for Africa. 

World Vision’s African offices also liaise directly with African governments, as well as institutions such as the African Union and NEPAD.