Number of poor in Africa rises to 476 million amid multiple crises: report-Xinhua

Photo taken on July 30, 2023 shows a section of the Mathare slums in Nairobi, capital of Kenya. (Photo by John Okoyo/Xinhua)

The number of people living in poverty in Africa has risen to more than 476 million, according to the Africa Economic Report 2024.

ADDIS ABABA, April 26 (Xinhua) — The number of people living in poverty in Africa has risen to more than 476 million, according to the Africa Economic Report 2024.

Launched by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 10th African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, the report says that amid a fragmented and conflict-prone world, Africa faces many economic, social and environmental. that impede the implementation on the continent of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union’s 50-year continental development plan, Agenda 2063.

“Poverty, inequality and food insecurity have increased across the continent,” the report says, noting that Africa needs around $1.6 trillion in financing by 2030 to reverse the grim situation.

This aerial photograph taken with a drone on March 2, 2024 shows a view of the floating Makoko slum in Lagos, Nigeria. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

He said the confluence of crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts and climate-related disasters have reversed Africa’s social and economic development gains of recent decades.

“It is estimated that around a third of the continent’s population, 50 million more than in 2019, will be in poverty in 2024,” the report notes.

The continent needs to improve its climate resilience and embark on a greener growth path to generate quality jobs and contribute to global efforts to combat climate change and preserve the biosphere, the economic report highlighted.

Speaking at the report launch ceremony, UNECA Deputy Executive Secretary Hanan Morsy said the economic report, titled “Investing in a just and sustainable transition in Africa”, focuses on what a just and sustainable transition means. for Africa.

He said the report’s recommendations will go a long way in improving human well-being and the well-being of future generations by meeting basic needs, creating productive jobs and sustainable livelihoods and establishing a healthy ecosystem.

There is a window of opportunity for Africa to undertake an impactful, just and sustainable transition guided by an Africa-based narrative, Morsy said.

He said factors such as the continent’s young population, vast arable land, renewable resource endowment, huge deposits of strategic minerals and the advantages of emerging technologies for newcomers position Africa to shape the transition towards sustainability. at a global level. ■