Millennium Development Goals in Africa , Policies and Achievement Strategies : An Appraisal and Ways Forward

Abstract

The major focus of this paper was on the problems associated with the achievement of Millennium Development Goals in Africa. The baseline was that, for over thirteen years of inception of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Africa remains wanting in human development indices, poverty eradication, literate population, health development, economic, political, and social development. These have been the case despite the introduction of a number of strategies aimed at achieving the MDGs and associated cost estimates by the Millennium Project and the World Bank. Our aim was to appraise the extent of achievement of the MDGs in Africa, guided by the question of whether practical policy initiatives for achieving the MDGs can be identified for Africa. We would like to contribute significantly to the policy initiatives. Methodologically, we concentrated on a survey of the policy prescriptions for the achievement of MDGs in Africa and the extent to which these policies had contributed to achievement of the MDGs. The data sources were basically from: (i) the African regional development indicators; (ii) Millennium Development Goals Reports; (iii) the MDG Africa Steering Group; and, other relevant literature. The analysis of data was highly descriptive and appropriate enough for assessment of the extent of achievement of the MDGs in Africa. In a nutshell, our assessments indicate the following constraints to the achievement of MDGs in Africa: (i) discouragingly low human development indices in Africa compared to the global average; (ii) inappropriate policy recommendations for achievement of the MDGs in Africa; (iii) non-applicable predictive models; (iv) the problem of paucity of data in Africa; (v) low level of infrastructural development in rural areas; (vi) high rate of underemployment; (vii) deficiencies in policy implementation processes; and, (viii) lack of research and development culture. Based on these observations, the paper makes the following recommendations: (i) regional partnerships in development projects;(ii) development and application of country-specific strategy models; (iii) country-wide emphasis on availability of relevant data, complemented with research and development activities; (iv) emphasis on infrastructural development especially in the rural areas; and, (v) refined policy implementation processes based on the use of appropriate personnel and other policy implementation instruments, such as monitoring and evaluation. SINGAPOREAN JOuRNAl Of buSINESS EcONOmIcS, ANd mANAGEmENt StudIES VOl.3, NO.12, 2015 14 Chuks P. Maduabum, Ph. D is a professor of Public Administration and Dean of the School of Management Sciences. Onyemaechi J. Onwe, Ph. D is an associate professor of Management Economics and a Programme Leader in the School of Management Sciences.