Extreme poverty and inequality among Africa’s top challenges, ECA’s Ruzvidzo says

Abstract

Eradicating extreme poverty and reducing inequality remain some of Africa’s biggest challenges which the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is trying to help member States tackle through various policy recommendations and actions. This was said Thursday by Ms. Thokozile Ruzvidzo, Director of the Gender, Poverty and Social Policy Division at the ECA, in remarks to the third session of the committee on gender, poverty and social policy. The committee is meeting for the next two days to look into the core role of the newly-formed Division that was reformulated to address gender, poverty and social policy as key African priorities. “The interaction between poverty and inequality requires urgent attention in order to resolve human ill-being, fulfil everyone’s human rights, and achieve collective peace, prosperity, and genuine democracy. Poverty and inequality do not only mean human deprivation, they often lead to social unrest and uprisings, growing radicalization, worsening of polarization within countries and communities, risks, and sometimes actual conflicts and wars,” she added. The ECA’s new strategic direction focuses particularly on 23 African countries to increase its ability to make impactful interventions and remain forward-looking.