The Odum of Ala Igbo
Hail Biafra!
What are Sahelian states doing to fight desertification from the encroaching Sahara?
Essential The Africa the Media Doesn't Tell You About
- Thread starter TommyHilltrigga
- Start date
Nothing, I guess.
Desertification: The people whose land is turning to dust
- 12 November 2015
- From the section Africa
"Here we live off the land and if it doesn't work we are in so much trouble", says Amadou Souare
The UN predicts over 50 million people will be forced to leave their homes by 2020 because their land has turned to desert. This is already happening in Senegal, writes Laeila Adjovi.
Cattle herder Khalidou Badara took me up a hill in Louga, northern Senegal, to describe to me how his area has changed.
"When I was a child, I did not even dare to walk up to here because the vegetation was so dense.
"But these past few years, the wind and sand have been taking over.
"There are almost no more trees, and the grass does not grow anymore, and so each year, we have to go further and further away to find grazing for our cattle."
His life has become more complicated because of desertification.
He's not the only one. The UN says land degradation affects 1.5 billion people globally.
Desertification is the persistent degradation of dry land ecosystems by human activities and by climate change.
It translates into scarcer rains and decreasing soil quality, which leads to less grazing for livestock and lower crop yield.
Lost land
Each year, UN figures say, 12 million hectares of land are lost. That's land where 20 million tonnes of grain could have been grown.
People living off the land feel they have no choice but to migrate.
In another part of Louga - the village of Pendayayake - I met Cheikhou Lo.
Cheikhou Lo says he can't work because of the drought
He had sown hectares of peanuts and beans in the hope of selling them.
But lack of rain and soil erosion mean the peanuts and beans have not ripened.
His failed harvest is only good to feed animals.
Cheikhou Lo's peanut harvest has been ruined this year
"Years ago, there was more rain and we were able to produce more," he told me.
"We could live on the crops until the next rainy season. Now, with that drought, we can't work.
"If we had boreholes and sufficient means, we could grow vegetables, plant trees, and we could stay here".
"But if not, many have to leave and go elsewhere to be able to survive."
Forced to leave
His 27-year-old nephew Amadou Souare added that in the village there is only one borehole and not enough means to dig another one.
"Here we live off the land," he said.
"And if that does not work, we are in so much trouble."
There used to be much more rain in northern Senegal
Many young people from the village have left. Cheikou Lo's own children, now adults, went to find jobs in Dakar.
Some have travelled to Gabon, others are planning to go to Europe or Brazil.
"We would rather they stayed here to develop the village but with no jobs and no means, how can we ask them to stay?" he asked.
A wall of trees
One project is trying to slow the effects of desertification.
The Great Green Wall initiative aims to create a barrier of vegetation in vulnerable areas across the continent, from Senegal to Djibouti.
The organisation says hundreds of thousands of trees have already been planted in the region.
In Senegal, the wall is intended to make a 545km (338 mile) long curtain of vegetation.
People may not be able to wait the 10 years the trees will take to grow
The organisation also makes fodder banks for herders, vegetable gardens to prevent malnutrition and teaches children how to protect the environment.
The idea is to meet minimal living conditions so people can survive.
After all, El Hadj Goudiaby from the national agency of the Great Green Wall explained, the trees will only have an impact in 10-15 years' time.
"Can people here really wait that long? No."
Pushed by the desert
Month by month, people continue to leave. A few hours away, Dakar, the capital city, offers hope of a better life.
Malik Souare grew up in Pendayayake.
Unable to live off the land, he decided to move to Dakar, and found a job as a driver.
But now, he dreams of going even further away.
"You know, everyone wants to get ahead. So I would prefer to leave. Go to England maybe. That is the place where my hopes are now," he said.
For more and more rural communities at the mercy of the environment, migration appears to be the only choice.
According to the UN, over 50 million people could move from the desertified areas of sub-Saharan Africa towards North Africa and Europe by 2020.
Pushed by the desert and pulled by opportunity, more and more people like Mr Souare will picture their future abroad.
Desertification: The people whose land is turning to dust - BBC News
The Odum of Ala Igbo
Hail Biafra!
Nothing, I guess.
Desertification: The people whose land is turning to dust
- 12 November 2015
- From the section Africa
"Here we live off the land and if it doesn't work we are in so much trouble", says Amadou Souare
The UN predicts over 50 million people will be forced to leave their homes by 2020 because their land has turned to desert. This is already happening in Senegal, writes Laeila Adjovi.
Cattle herder Khalidou Badara took me up a hill in Louga, northern Senegal, to describe to me how his area has changed.
"When I was a child, I did not even dare to walk up to here because the vegetation was so dense.
"But these past few years, the wind and sand have been taking over.
"There are almost no more trees, and the grass does not grow anymore, and so each year, we have to go further and further away to find grazing for our cattle."
His life has become more complicated because of desertification.
He's not the only one. The UN says land degradation affects 1.5 billion people globally.
Desertification is the persistent degradation of dry land ecosystems by human activities and by climate change.
It translates into scarcer rains and decreasing soil quality, which leads to less grazing for livestock and lower crop yield.
Lost land
Each year, UN figures say, 12 million hectares of land are lost. That's land where 20 million tonnes of grain could have been grown.
People living off the land feel they have no choice but to migrate.
In another part of Louga - the village of Pendayayake - I met Cheikhou Lo.
Cheikhou Lo says he can't work because of the drought
He had sown hectares of peanuts and beans in the hope of selling them.
But lack of rain and soil erosion mean the peanuts and beans have not ripened.
His failed harvest is only good to feed animals.
Cheikhou Lo's peanut harvest has been ruined this year
"Years ago, there was more rain and we were able to produce more," he told me.
"We could live on the crops until the next rainy season. Now, with that drought, we can't work.
"If we had boreholes and sufficient means, we could grow vegetables, plant trees, and we could stay here".
"But if not, many have to leave and go elsewhere to be able to survive."
Forced to leave
His 27-year-old nephew Amadou Souare added that in the village there is only one borehole and not enough means to dig another one.
"Here we live off the land," he said.
"And if that does not work, we are in so much trouble."
There used to be much more rain in northern Senegal
Many young people from the village have left. Cheikou Lo's own children, now adults, went to find jobs in Dakar.
Some have travelled to Gabon, others are planning to go to Europe or Brazil.
"We would rather they stayed here to develop the village but with no jobs and no means, how can we ask them to stay?" he asked.
A wall of trees
One project is trying to slow the effects of desertification.
The Great Green Wall initiative aims to create a barrier of vegetation in vulnerable areas across the continent, from Senegal to Djibouti.
The organisation says hundreds of thousands of trees have already been planted in the region.
In Senegal, the wall is intended to make a 545km (338 mile) long curtain of vegetation.
People may not be able to wait the 10 years the trees will take to grow
The organisation also makes fodder banks for herders, vegetable gardens to prevent malnutrition and teaches children how to protect the environment.
The idea is to meet minimal living conditions so people can survive.
After all, El Hadj Goudiaby from the national agency of the Great Green Wall explained, the trees will only have an impact in 10-15 years' time.
"Can people here really wait that long? No."
Pushed by the desert
Month by month, people continue to leave. A few hours away, Dakar, the capital city, offers hope of a better life.
Malik Souare grew up in Pendayayake.
Unable to live off the land, he decided to move to Dakar, and found a job as a driver.
But now, he dreams of going even further away.
"You know, everyone wants to get ahead. So I would prefer to leave. Go to England maybe. That is the place where my hopes are now," he said.
For more and more rural communities at the mercy of the environment, migration appears to be the only choice.
According to the UN, over 50 million people could move from the desertified areas of sub-Saharan Africa towards North Africa and Europe by 2020.
Pushed by the desert and pulled by opportunity, more and more people like Mr Souare will picture their future abroad.
Desertification: The people whose land is turning to dust - BBC News
Thanks for the link. Great article. The solution to this issue is multi-national, obviously. It requires so many things: A coming together of Niger Valley states, some waterflow being taken in the form of irrigation like upper Niger states like Mali, pipelines taking water from aquifers, desalination plants, GMO crops that use low amounts of water and a network of pastureland and hardy trees that holds the Sahara at bay stretches from Senegal to Darfur...but you know
Thanks for the link. Great article. The solution to this issue is multi-national, obviously. It requires so many things: A coming together of Niger Valley states, some waterflow being taken in the form of irrigation like upper Niger states like Mali, pipelines taking water from aquifers, desalination plants, GMO crops that use low amounts of water and a network of pastureland and hardy trees that holds the Sahara at bay stretches from Senegal to Darfur...but you know
Yes. A bunch of shyt we know won't get done.
The Odum of Ala Igbo
Hail Biafra!
Some of it could but it would have to be spurred on by a crisis. Say, Northern Nigeria (with more than 80 million people) has rapid desertification or something.
Red Shield
Global Domination
Even then it still probably wouldn't be done :Snoop:
Moody's: Senegal's economic reform plans support growth outlook, high government debt remains key credit constraint
Global Credit Research - 24 Nov 2015
New York, November 24, 2015 -- Senegal's economic growth is expected to accelerate in 2015-16, helped by the government's economic reform agenda and low commodity prices, Moody's Investors Service said in a report today. However, implementation risks may challenge the government's reform plan targets, while high government debt will remain a key credit constraint.
The annual update, "Credit Analysis: Government of Senegal", is now available on www.moodys.com. Moody's subscribers can access this report via the link at the end of this press release. The research is an update to the markets and does not constitute a rating action.
"Donor support and improvements to Senegal's institutional framework strengthen the government's capacity to foster higher growth at the lowest fiscal cost," said Lucie Villa, a Moody's Vice President -- Senior Analyst, and co-author of the report. "Senegal's business environment is improving, albeit from a relatively low base."
Moody's forecasts that Senegal's GDP growth will rise to around 5%-6% in 2015-16, up from an average of 3.7% over 2010-14 but below the 7%-8% target contained in the government's economic reform agenda, the Plan Sénégal Emergent (PSE, or the Emerging Senegal Plan).
Under the plan, the government aims to improve the economy's growth capacity, partly through better infrastructure and improving the business environment to foster private investment. The plan is also to turn the capital, Dakar, into a regional hub for industry, logistics and services. It also envisages improved social services and a more balanced economic development across the country and population. Achieving a structural increase in growth potential and successful fiscal consolidation would support upward movement of the B1 rating, a possibility reflected by the positive outlook.
However, Senegal's relatively small economy is still constrained by low per capita GDP, energy supply shortages, under-developed transport links, and its vulnerability to economic shocks, both external and weather-related. Its economy remains also relatively uncompetitive.
While persistent fiscal deficits have led to high government indebtedness (53% of GDP in 2014), the fiscal deficit is gradually declining and the overall debt burden is affordable. From a peak of 6.7% of GDP in 2011, Moody's expects the fiscal deficit to be reduced to 4.8% of GDP in 2015 and 4.3% in 2016.
Senegal's history of political and macroeconomic stability and its membership of the West African Economic and Monetary Union, as well as the franc Zone, are positive factors that support its credit rating.
Moody's: Senegal's economic reform plans support growth outlook, high government debt remains key credit constraint
Global Credit Research - 24 Nov 2015
New York, November 24, 2015 -- Senegal's economic growth is expected to accelerate in 2015-16, helped by the government's economic reform agenda and low commodity prices, Moody's Investors Service said in a report today. However, implementation risks may challenge the government's reform plan targets, while high government debt will remain a key credit constraint.
The annual update, "Credit Analysis: Government of Senegal", is now available on www.moodys.com. Moody's subscribers can access this report via the link at the end of this press release. The research is an update to the markets and does not constitute a rating action.
"Donor support and improvements to Senegal's institutional framework strengthen the government's capacity to foster higher growth at the lowest fiscal cost," said Lucie Villa, a Moody's Vice President -- Senior Analyst, and co-author of the report. "Senegal's business environment is improving, albeit from a relatively low base."
Moody's forecasts that Senegal's GDP growth will rise to around 5%-6% in 2015-16, up from an average of 3.7% over 2010-14 but below the 7%-8% target contained in the government's economic reform agenda, the Plan Sénégal Emergent (PSE, or the Emerging Senegal Plan).
Under the plan, the government aims to improve the economy's growth capacity, partly through better infrastructure and improving the business environment to foster private investment. The plan is also to turn the capital, Dakar, into a regional hub for industry, logistics and services. It also envisages improved social services and a more balanced economic development across the country and population. Achieving a structural increase in growth potential and successful fiscal consolidation would support upward movement of the B1 rating, a possibility reflected by the positive outlook.
However, Senegal's relatively small economy is still constrained by low per capita GDP, energy supply shortages, under-developed transport links, and its vulnerability to economic shocks, both external and weather-related. Its economy remains also relatively uncompetitive.
While persistent fiscal deficits have led to high government indebtedness (53% of GDP in 2014), the fiscal deficit is gradually declining and the overall debt burden is affordable. From a peak of 6.7% of GDP in 2011, Moody's expects the fiscal deficit to be reduced to 4.8% of GDP in 2015 and 4.3% in 2016.
Senegal's history of political and macroeconomic stability and its membership of the West African Economic and Monetary Union, as well as the franc Zone, are positive factors that support its credit rating.
Moody's: Senegal's economic reform plans support growth outlook, high government debt remains key credit constraint
Steel industry in Angola starts producing pig iron in 2016
NOVEMBER 27TH, 2015
NEWS
Angolan steel company Companhia Siderúrgica do Cuchi (CSC) is due to start producing pig iron in May 2016, announced in Menongue, the governor of Kuando Kubango province, Higino Carneiro, cited by newspaper Jornal de Angola.
Much of the equipment, including the furnace that will transform iron ore and produce 96,000 tons of pig iron a year, has arrived at the port of Lobito and will be transported to the city of Cuchi, 90 kilometres south of Menongue.
Work to build the factory and a bitumen plant is almost complete and construction of workshops, a health centre, cafeteria, dormitories and residential area is underway.
“The iron will be transported by the Moçâmedes Railroad to the port of Namibe, from where it will be exported to different parts of the world,” added Carneiro.
The governor added that the second phase of the Cuchi steel project provides for the installation of two large furnaces that will triple annual production to 420,000 tons of pig iron, installing larger crushing plants and a magnetic concentration plant to make better use of the ore.”
The project also includes installation and development of a eucalyptus nursery and carbonisation units that are essential for the operation of the project, as well as a power station to ensure power supply to the plant and nearby areas.
“The project includes construction of an airport with a 2,700-metre long and 30-metre wide runway, whose earthworks phase is due to be completed in December, followed by the placement of the base and sub-base and subsequently the concrete top layer,” the governor said. (macauhub/AO)
Steel industry in Angola starts producing pig iron in 2016 | Macauhub English
NOVEMBER 27TH, 2015
Angolan steel company Companhia Siderúrgica do Cuchi (CSC) is due to start producing pig iron in May 2016, announced in Menongue, the governor of Kuando Kubango province, Higino Carneiro, cited by newspaper Jornal de Angola.
Much of the equipment, including the furnace that will transform iron ore and produce 96,000 tons of pig iron a year, has arrived at the port of Lobito and will be transported to the city of Cuchi, 90 kilometres south of Menongue.
Work to build the factory and a bitumen plant is almost complete and construction of workshops, a health centre, cafeteria, dormitories and residential area is underway.
“The iron will be transported by the Moçâmedes Railroad to the port of Namibe, from where it will be exported to different parts of the world,” added Carneiro.
The governor added that the second phase of the Cuchi steel project provides for the installation of two large furnaces that will triple annual production to 420,000 tons of pig iron, installing larger crushing plants and a magnetic concentration plant to make better use of the ore.”
The project also includes installation and development of a eucalyptus nursery and carbonisation units that are essential for the operation of the project, as well as a power station to ensure power supply to the plant and nearby areas.
“The project includes construction of an airport with a 2,700-metre long and 30-metre wide runway, whose earthworks phase is due to be completed in December, followed by the placement of the base and sub-base and subsequently the concrete top layer,” the governor said. (macauhub/AO)
Steel industry in Angola starts producing pig iron in 2016 | Macauhub English
shawtydancer
Rookie
africa and asia goat continetns
shawtydancer
Rookie
honestly every1 needs to go to africa
Regional Geological Institute of Angola completed in 2016
DECEMBER 3RD, 2015
NEWS
The Regional Geological Institute of Angola, under construction in the town of Conjenje in Lubango, will be delivered to the authorities in January 2016, said Monday in Lubango the deputy governor of Huíla province for the technical and infrastructure area.
Nuno Mahapi Ndala said construction of the project, supervised by the Ministry of Geology and Mining, included four one-storey buildings, an area of nearly 6,000 square metres, and was “well under way.”
The project, under construction by Chinese company CITIC Construction since January, includes preparation of laboratories for preparing samples of minerals, as well as restaurants, offices, research rooms and will serve the provinces of Huila, Namibe, Cunene and Kuando Kubango.
The Ministry of Geology and Mines is the central administrative body of the state that licenses, directs, coordinates and ensures the implementation of the national policy set by the Government in the field of geological and mining activities. (macauhub/AO)
Regional Geological Institute of Angola completed in 2016 | Macauhub English
DECEMBER 3RD, 2015
The Regional Geological Institute of Angola, under construction in the town of Conjenje in Lubango, will be delivered to the authorities in January 2016, said Monday in Lubango the deputy governor of Huíla province for the technical and infrastructure area.
Nuno Mahapi Ndala said construction of the project, supervised by the Ministry of Geology and Mining, included four one-storey buildings, an area of nearly 6,000 square metres, and was “well under way.”
The project, under construction by Chinese company CITIC Construction since January, includes preparation of laboratories for preparing samples of minerals, as well as restaurants, offices, research rooms and will serve the provinces of Huila, Namibe, Cunene and Kuando Kubango.
The Ministry of Geology and Mines is the central administrative body of the state that licenses, directs, coordinates and ensures the implementation of the national policy set by the Government in the field of geological and mining activities. (macauhub/AO)
Regional Geological Institute of Angola completed in 2016 | Macauhub English
I appreciate you holding this is thread down.Regional Geological Institute of Angola completed in 2016
DECEMBER 3RD, 2015NEWS
The Regional Geological Institute of Angola, under construction in the town of Conjenje in Lubango, will be delivered to the authorities in January 2016, said Monday in Lubango the deputy governor of Huíla province for the technical and infrastructure area.
Nuno Mahapi Ndala said construction of the project, supervised by the Ministry of Geology and Mining, included four one-storey buildings, an area of nearly 6,000 square metres, and was “well under way.”
The project, under construction by Chinese company CITIC Construction since January, includes preparation of laboratories for preparing samples of minerals, as well as restaurants, offices, research rooms and will serve the provinces of Huila, Namibe, Cunene and Kuando Kubango.
The Ministry of Geology and Mines is the central administrative body of the state that licenses, directs, coordinates and ensures the implementation of the national policy set by the Government in the field of geological and mining activities. (macauhub/AO)
Regional Geological Institute of Angola completed in 2016 | Macauhub English
Mozambique plans to build a pipeline from the north to the south of the country
DECEMBER 9TH, 2015
NEWS
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The government of Mozambique plans to build two new pipelines, one of which linking Palma, in the province of Cabo Delgado, to Maputo, the country’s capital, said in Pemba Natalia Camba, of the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy.
Construction of the two pipelines is part of the Master Plan for Natural Gas presented by the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy at the International Conference on Value Chains of the Gas, Graphite and Agrarian Industries taking place since Monday in Pemba.
One of the pipelines, about 300 kilometres long, would connect the cities of Pemba and Palma, both in the province of Cabo Delgado, while the second, linking Palma to the country’s capital, will be 2,600 kilometres long.
Camba said the development of natural gas projects in the country could be a catalyst for the maritime industry, given that the projects will be built along the coast of Cabo Delgado province.
The province of Cabo Delgado has natural gas deposits on a global scale, which will be explored by US group Anadarko Petroleum and Italy’s ENI for the production of liquefied natural gas. (macauhub/MZ)
Mozambique plans to build a pipeline from the north to the south of the country | Macauhub English
DECEMBER 9TH, 2015
The government of Mozambique plans to build two new pipelines, one of which linking Palma, in the province of Cabo Delgado, to Maputo, the country’s capital, said in Pemba Natalia Camba, of the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy.
Construction of the two pipelines is part of the Master Plan for Natural Gas presented by the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy at the International Conference on Value Chains of the Gas, Graphite and Agrarian Industries taking place since Monday in Pemba.
One of the pipelines, about 300 kilometres long, would connect the cities of Pemba and Palma, both in the province of Cabo Delgado, while the second, linking Palma to the country’s capital, will be 2,600 kilometres long.
Camba said the development of natural gas projects in the country could be a catalyst for the maritime industry, given that the projects will be built along the coast of Cabo Delgado province.
The province of Cabo Delgado has natural gas deposits on a global scale, which will be explored by US group Anadarko Petroleum and Italy’s ENI for the production of liquefied natural gas. (macauhub/MZ)
Mozambique plans to build a pipeline from the north to the south of the country | Macauhub English
Africa: Incomes Growth in Rural Botswana Lifts Thousands Out of Poverty and Decreases Inequality
8 DECEMBER 2015
Tagged:
PRESS RELEASE
Gaborone — Thousands of Batswana rose out of poverty thanks to increased growth in rural areas driven in part by rising agricultural incomes and welfare improvements, according to a World Bank Study released today in Gaborone.
The Botswana Poverty Assessment report, found that the number of poor people in the country declined by nearly 180 000 between 2002/3 and 2009/10. This denotes a poverty rate decrease of 19.4% from 30.6% when using the national poverty line. In this period, 87 percent of the decrease in poverty occurred in rural areas, where 158,000 people rose out of poverty.
"Tackling poverty is at the heart of our National Development Plan. We are pleased to see that our welfare programs have improved the lives of many and made a dent in poverty levels, says Mr. Olebile Gaborone, the Permanent Secretary for Poverty Eradication, in the Office of the President of Botswana.
Based on two nationally representative household income and expenditure surveys conducted by Statistics Botswana in 2002/2003 and 2009/10, the report analyzes recent trends in the monetary and nonmonetary aspects of poverty in Botswana. It examines the drivers of poverty reduction by systematically looking at the demographic, labor, and human capital dimensions of poverty.
The report shows that increased agriculture incomes strongly supported by government subsidies and substantial changes in the demographic structure including the reductions in household sizes and dependency ratios were responsible for Botswana's poverty reduction.
It found that the decrease in the incidence of poverty was accompanied by a significant decline in both the depth and severity of poverty. Furthermore, the poverty gap eased from 11.7 percent in 2002/03 to 6.2 percent in 2009/10, indicating that consumption has improved among the poor. Real consumption per capita rose 47.6 percent in rural areas compared to a nationwide real consumption per capita increase of 13.3 percent during the same period.
"Botswana has made much progress in its fight to end poverty. We will continue to support the Government efforts to make investments in a broad variety of areas to grow the economy, increase employment and eradicate extreme poverty", says World Bank Country Director to Botswana, Guang Zhe Chen. "This is aligned with the World Bank's mission to help end extreme poverty by 2030 and to boost prosperity among the poorest 40 percent in low- and middle-income countries".
The study also revealed a decrease in inequality although with a Gini coefficient of 60.5 percent, Botswana remains one of the world's most unequal countries. The level of inequality in Botswana is the world's third highest, after South Africa and Seychelles. But between 2002/03 and 2009/10, inequality, the Gini fell from 64.7 percent to 60.5 percent. Most of the decline occurred due to welfare improvements in rural areas, while inequality in cities increased.
It also found that large numbers of people still live just marginally above the poverty line and at risk of falling back into poverty. Vulnerability was significantly reduced between 2002/03 and 2009/10. However, half of Botswana's population remains either poor or vulnerable, with close to 31 percent classified as vulnerable.
"We see from our research that agricultural support programs were clearly a big part of the progress achieved during the period under review," says World Bank Senior Economist Victor Sulla. "Going forwards, investments in human capital and efficient safety-net targeting will be critical to accelerating poverty reduction and reducing inequality further".
The study also shows that the combined effect of labor, education and social protection improvements could help halve projected poverty by 2018 and eradicate it by 2030. It projects a fall in poverty levels of below 12% by 2018 and below 6% by 2030. However, inequality is not expected to fall significantly unless there is continued, broad-based employment growth.
The report recommends improving the quality of education and raising skills levels in order to close the skills gaps that dampen labor demand. It also recommends the development of a dynamic and productive private sector which is fundamental to creating more and better jobs and a greater focus on the most disadvantaged populations.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201512091320.html
8 DECEMBER 2015
Tagged:
PRESS RELEASE
Gaborone — Thousands of Batswana rose out of poverty thanks to increased growth in rural areas driven in part by rising agricultural incomes and welfare improvements, according to a World Bank Study released today in Gaborone.
The Botswana Poverty Assessment report, found that the number of poor people in the country declined by nearly 180 000 between 2002/3 and 2009/10. This denotes a poverty rate decrease of 19.4% from 30.6% when using the national poverty line. In this period, 87 percent of the decrease in poverty occurred in rural areas, where 158,000 people rose out of poverty.
"Tackling poverty is at the heart of our National Development Plan. We are pleased to see that our welfare programs have improved the lives of many and made a dent in poverty levels, says Mr. Olebile Gaborone, the Permanent Secretary for Poverty Eradication, in the Office of the President of Botswana.
Based on two nationally representative household income and expenditure surveys conducted by Statistics Botswana in 2002/2003 and 2009/10, the report analyzes recent trends in the monetary and nonmonetary aspects of poverty in Botswana. It examines the drivers of poverty reduction by systematically looking at the demographic, labor, and human capital dimensions of poverty.
The report shows that increased agriculture incomes strongly supported by government subsidies and substantial changes in the demographic structure including the reductions in household sizes and dependency ratios were responsible for Botswana's poverty reduction.
It found that the decrease in the incidence of poverty was accompanied by a significant decline in both the depth and severity of poverty. Furthermore, the poverty gap eased from 11.7 percent in 2002/03 to 6.2 percent in 2009/10, indicating that consumption has improved among the poor. Real consumption per capita rose 47.6 percent in rural areas compared to a nationwide real consumption per capita increase of 13.3 percent during the same period.
"Botswana has made much progress in its fight to end poverty. We will continue to support the Government efforts to make investments in a broad variety of areas to grow the economy, increase employment and eradicate extreme poverty", says World Bank Country Director to Botswana, Guang Zhe Chen. "This is aligned with the World Bank's mission to help end extreme poverty by 2030 and to boost prosperity among the poorest 40 percent in low- and middle-income countries".
The study also revealed a decrease in inequality although with a Gini coefficient of 60.5 percent, Botswana remains one of the world's most unequal countries. The level of inequality in Botswana is the world's third highest, after South Africa and Seychelles. But between 2002/03 and 2009/10, inequality, the Gini fell from 64.7 percent to 60.5 percent. Most of the decline occurred due to welfare improvements in rural areas, while inequality in cities increased.
It also found that large numbers of people still live just marginally above the poverty line and at risk of falling back into poverty. Vulnerability was significantly reduced between 2002/03 and 2009/10. However, half of Botswana's population remains either poor or vulnerable, with close to 31 percent classified as vulnerable.
"We see from our research that agricultural support programs were clearly a big part of the progress achieved during the period under review," says World Bank Senior Economist Victor Sulla. "Going forwards, investments in human capital and efficient safety-net targeting will be critical to accelerating poverty reduction and reducing inequality further".
The study also shows that the combined effect of labor, education and social protection improvements could help halve projected poverty by 2018 and eradicate it by 2030. It projects a fall in poverty levels of below 12% by 2018 and below 6% by 2030. However, inequality is not expected to fall significantly unless there is continued, broad-based employment growth.
The report recommends improving the quality of education and raising skills levels in order to close the skills gaps that dampen labor demand. It also recommends the development of a dynamic and productive private sector which is fundamental to creating more and better jobs and a greater focus on the most disadvantaged populations.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201512091320.html