Sub-Saharan Africa

Slow growth in Sub-Saharan Africa has meant increases in both the poverty rate and the number of poor in the 1990s. The region has the largest poverty head count ratio compared to all other developing regions. The incidence of poverty at $1.25 a day in Sub-Saharan Africa is reduced by little, from 53 percent in 1981 to 51 percent in 2005. Poverty rates increased through the mid-1990s, but there has been encouraging downward trend since then. The number of poor living on less than $1.25 a day has almost doubled in SSA over 1981-2005, from 212 million to over 388 million. The share of the world's poor living in Africa has risen from 11 percent in 1981 to 27 percent in 2005. The mean consumption of Africa's poor is not only lower than that in any other region, but also has shown very little increase over the period. The mean consumption of those living under $1.25 per day in Africa was $0.74 per person per day in 1981 and fell to $0.73 in 2005.

Sub-Saharan Africa is a region in transformation and with diverse performers. Several countries have sustained significant growth rates over the last ten years, and many have achieved progress in poverty reduction, life expectancy, and other MDGs, including Benin, Mali,Tanzania, and Uganda, while others have experienced modest or even negative growth rates and increases in poverty. So, there is no unique picture for the region.

The efforts to achieve Education for All have resulted in substantial gross enrolment ratio of primary education, which reached 94 percent in 2006 from 71 percent in 1991. Primary completion rate as percentage of relevant age group rose to 60 percent in 2006, from 51percent in 1991. But gender equity in primary education remains a problem, as the ratio of girls to boys hardly changed. In addition to the increasing schooling-age population, these educational outcomes have put pressure on governments to expand post-primary education.

Lifetime risk of maternal death for Sub-Saharan African women is 1 in 22, 330 times higher than the risk for women in developed countries. Nine maternal deaths occur per every 1,000 live birth, and only 22 percent of the women of ages 15-49 use any type of contraception method- the lowest rate among all developing regions. Young girls are especially at risk. In 2007, 118 out of every 1,000 girls of age 15-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa gave birth.

Some progress was made in access to improved water source, which increased from 49% in 1990 to 58% in 2006 More than two thirds of the population doesn't have access to improved sanitation facilities, and all countries in the region are unlikely to achieve the target for 2015. Successes in disease control (vitamin A deficiency, river blindness), and in health policy (the new WTO rules on pharmaceutical patents) have been insufficient to meet the challenges facing African health care systems: severe shortages in health workers; strong financing constraints leading to affordability issues for the population; chronic poor nutrition and reproductive health; the burden of HIV/AIDS and malaria; and the resurgence tuberculosis. Addressing these issues will be central for making faster progress towards the MDGs targets.

Goal 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Goal 2. Achieve universal primary education

Goal 3. Promote gender equality and empower women

Goal 4. Reduce child mortality

Goal 5. Improve maternal health

Goal 6. Combat HIV / AIDS Malaria & other diseases

Goal 7. Ensure environmental sustainability