Africa's sustainable development bulletin : assessing sustainable development in Africa 2005

Abstract

In this article, the need for assessing the status of sustainable development in Africa is rationalized. Then, the need for devising tools to facilitate the tracking of progress is discussed. While the complex and inter-related nature of challenges countries have to deal with to chart the way to sustainable development is recognized, the article defi nes sustainable development and its operationalization; highlights its importance; dwells on its assessment and the need to track future progress; points out the need for monitoring and evaluation tools; outlines ECA’s role in the process; identifi es data challenges; and provides the way forward. More importantly, the article opens a window for a selected range of sustainable development issues covered by other articles in this Bulletin, including institutional responses to sustainable development; progress in implementing NEPAD; coping with water scarcity; improving agricultural productivity; structural transformation; AIDS; demographic change and the MDGs; international migration; ageing; and rapid urbanization.