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AFRICA REGION. Achi Atsain (Chair). ISSUES. Enhance access to markets and design policies to reduce all forms of risks Balanced social/economic investments, e.g. health and education vs. roads and agriculture
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AFRICA REGION Achi Atsain (Chair)
ISSUES • Enhance access to markets and design policies to reduce all forms of risks • Balanced social/economic investments, e.g. health and education vs. roads and agriculture • In developed world, major causes of death are cardiovascular (high blood pressure, high cholesterol)
ISSUES (cont’d) • Developing countries have double disease burden, i.e. both cardiovascular, but most important infections and malnutrition related • Focus on building capacity of young people and farmers • Malnutrition and poverty are causal and effect of each other
ISSUES (cont’d) • Optimal budgetary allocation between social services (health education) and growth related (e.g., agriculture) still a challenge for most African countries • No special problem with Africa – proposed solutions not adequately implemented • Issues of conflict and governance not well discussed
ISSUES (cont’d) • African countries need to be allowed room to design and implement own policies and diversity partners based on perceived mutual benefits.
POLICIES / MECHANISMS • Improve the policy environment • Enhance public-private sector partnerships • Improve infrastructure (social and growth related) • Involve communities in all interventions – they are cheaper and better • Train African women and ill-health and malnutrition will be reduced
POLICIES / MECHANISMS(cont’d) • Foster innovation in value chain and equitable access to knowledge • Aim at better integration and participatory curriculum development in education • Focus on increasing the productivity of agricultural labor (the most abundant resource in Africa • Aim at better integration of production and marketing • Train your people and build roads as a jump start