28 September 2015: Despite challenging initial conditions, African countries have made progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), according to the 2015 edition of an Africa-focused MDG report. This year’s report, titled ‘Assessing Progress in Africa Toward the Millennium Development Goals,’ emphasizes that success in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will depend on embracing the three dimensions of sustainability, and on “credible means of implementation,” including financing and renewed commitment.

The UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Union (AU), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) produce the annual report.

As a whole, the report finds, Africa is on track to attain MDGs on universal primary education, gender equality and women’s empowerment, and HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. The report presents progress on each of the MDGs, including on Africa’s accelerated economic growth and establishment of social safety nets.

The report showcases exemplary policies and initiatives, such as a 6% increase in forest cover in Cabo Verde resulting from a tree-planting initiative; and the promotion of behavior change toward gender equality through Niger’s ‘Ecole des Maris (School for Husbands),’ which aims to transform men into allies in promoting women’s reproductive health and family planning.

Despite these achievements, the report stresses that much more work remains to reduce poverty and inequality, improve living standards, create jobs and improve access to and quality of education. Further, the report cautions that it will be impossible for Africa to achieve sustainable development unless its nations and communities are resilient and able to anticipate and adapt to shocks and challenges, including climate-related disasters, conflicts and health crises. To minimize risks and future costs, the report recommends investments in prevention and preparedness.

Additional recommendations focus on: increasing domestic resource mobilization (DRM); addressing illicit financial flows; diversifying economies; and utilizing women’s economic potential. It recommends strengthening statistical and analytical capacities to ensure disaggregated data and harness big data. [UNECA Press Release] [Publication: MDG Report 2015]