More on South Sudan: the Poverty Profile + Videos of Lant Pritchett & Shanta in Juba
This page in:
As a brief follow-up to Shanta's post on the economic policy workshop in South Sudan, here is the World Bank's recent poverty profile for the soon-to-be-country. I've worked closely with the Southern Sudan Centre for Census, Statistics and Evaluation, which collected the data underlying the poverty profile. For more data on South Sudan, see the Centre's Fast Facts publication and their 2010 Statistical Yearbook. Finally, here are videos of the presentation Shanta and Lant Pritchett made at the Juba workshop:
Ending poverty by 2015? The blueprints for poverty eradication(P.E) have always been set/created, defined, redefined, and continue to be applied relative to the respective areas. However, statistics on poverty levels indicate that the rates are increasing everyday especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Although it may be naive to assume absoluteness in poverty eradication, unless there is a political will among leaders esp. in developing countries to reduce massive corruption, impunity, and the "culture" of dependence from the "west", including quasi loans from predatory lending nations, then it is next to impossible to eradicate poverty. Poverty will continue to exist in varying degrees in different countries. It is time for a realistic approach to this issue of P.E esp in depressed African economies. A blanket assessment of this issue will only skew findings and give reports that do not reflect the real situation in some countries. As a result, it adds to the challenge of disseminating intervention strategies to the most needy areas, or sending help where it is least needed.
In the Istanbul Declaration, the conference committed itself to the Program of Action throughout the coming decade. It underscored that the ownership, leadership and primary responsibility for development in LDCs rested with the LDCs themselves. Good governance, inclusiveness and transparency as well as domestic resource mobilization were central to the development process of the LDCs. It recognized LDCs’ efforts to make progress in provision of essential services, education, health, water and sanitation and shelter, and encouraged gender equality.
The Republic of South Sudan stands better chance to eliminate poverty if assisted by the international body to effectively and efficiently manage it public and private sectors finances. The natural resources revenues (oil), goal, Animals, agriculture etc is enough to lay solid foundation to the newest nation on earth. Huge obstacles are luck of infrastructure, better health facility, and education in the entire country. Besides help by the international bodies, education and training of South Sudan citizens to sustain what the country needs is paramount.
Hearty Ritti