Statement by Mr Carlos Lopes UN under- secretary-general and executive secretary of ECA : Africa regional conference on population and development

Abstract

Statement by Mr Carlos Lopes UN Under Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ECA at Africa Regional Conference on Population and Development. Mr Carlos Lopes highlighted on his remarks that, the new afro-enthusiasm is nevertheless dominated by an external perception of opportunities, particularly in light of dim growth prospects and forecasts in many advanced economies. It is true that we are not yet tired of hearing good news, given that Africa has been massacred with a patronizing, sometimes condescending view for such a long time. Africa has more people living in cities than India and roughly the same as China. The industrial unit value for light manufacturing production is becoming more competitive than Asia’s. One needs to be blind or incredibly deceptive to not believe in the possibilities for industrialization this time around. Africa needs to insist the way MDGs were measured did not give enough attention to the effort level. Reducing poverty in Paraguay by half is not the same as in Niger. It is a statistical overstretch to do these comparisons about who meets or not universal targets.