The ECA and Africa : accelerating a continent's development

Abstract

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) remains optimistic about the future prospects of the continent. As a member of the United Nations family, and at the same time an integral part of the African institutional landscape, ECA is well placed to foster Africa's renaissance, both by enhancing the coherence and coordination of the UN's work in Africa and by delivering core services. Having reoriented itself to serve Africa better, ECA embarked upon a programmatic and administrative reform process in 1996. In light of these reforms, and given the new optimism about the continent's development prospects, the time is right to alert the Commission's as to its strategic role and its efforts to optimize that role. This Publication is one step in that direction. In it, we articulate the vision that the overarching objective of every development intervention in Africa is the reduction of poverty. The challenges to which ECA is geared to respond are not only driven by this objective. They are, in and of themselves, integrally interlinked. As such, the relevance of the Commission's work is firmly rooted in and the program components clearly emanate from-these challenges. At ECA, we are fully aware that no single development actor possesses the means or the comparative advantage to tackle the gamut of activities that need to be undertaken.