This year the world commemorates the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October 2021) with the African continent, with about 874 million hectares of land considered suitable for agricultural production, still imports nearly US$ 4 billion in food every year according to statistics.
Two hundred and fifty million people on the “dark continent” suffer from hunger and 333 million residents face severe food insecurity despite the arable 60% of land on the continent.
Southern Africa Resource Watch (SARW) says the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate crisis are reversing decades of progress in the fight against poverty and inequality on the African continent.
“They are both devastating people’s livelihoods,” the organization says referring to COVID-19 and climate crisis.
“As of 2021, 490 million people on the continent are living in extreme poverty, making up approximately 36 percent of Africa’s total population. The longer we take to find solutions to climate change and Covid-19, the deeper the poverty and wider the inequality gap.”
SARW also says Africa, in order to kick-start the development process, can use natural and human resources.
The organization says African governments should shift focus to industrial policy from monetary policy.
“Through industrialization, Africa’s natural resources could be a base on which to transform our countries into developed nations.”
“Without this fundamental change in attitude, it is practically impossible for the continent to attain the targets of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 1 of Eradicating Poverty by 2030.”
African countries’ challenge of undiversified economic structures which is aiding to increasing poverty levels can only be addressed by promoting mineral linkages, improving resource governance, curbing illicit financial flows, and enforcing local content policies according to SARW.
The Resource Watch went on to say the mining industries can be a base for inclusive broad-based economic development.
“In line with the African Mining Vision, it is important for the mining industry to provide
downstream linkages into mineral beneficiation and manufacturing; upstream linkages into mining capital goods, consumables and services; and sidestream linkages into infrastructure (power, logistics, communications and water).”
The Africa Mining Vision (AMV), is a policy framework created by the African Union in 2009 to ensure that the continent utilizes its mineral resources strategically for broad-based, inclusive development.
“This long-term industrialization strategy (AMV) can play a critical role in poverty eradication, and underpin sustainable growth and development across the continent,” SARW says.
In terms of Zimbabwe, the World Bank reports that 49% of the country’s population lives in poverty due to both the pandemic and ailing economy.
The report says 7.9 million Zimbabweans are “extremely” poor, earning less than 30 U.S. dollars a month.
