Mellennium Challenge Series 24: Progress towards Millennium Development Goals

Institutional Challenges of Globalization and Millennium Development Goals (MDG) on Africa:

The Experience of the Horn (Ethiopia)
Dr. Belai Habte-Jesus
Global Strategic Enterprises, Inc.
703.933.8737; Globalbelai@hotmail.com
www.SolomonicCrown.org, www.globalbelai4u.blogspot.com




Millennium Challenges: Progress towards Meeting Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)


The Ethiopian Experience!

The MDGs are time-bound goals and targets defined by the United Nations that represent the international community's commitment to reduce extreme poverty in half and improve key indicators of human development by 2015 relative to their 1990 levels.

The beneficiaries were expected to be poorer nations of the world where the majority are expected to live in Africa and Asia. Ethiopia is one such country that could benefit from these goals.

According to experts in the field, Africa and Asia has numerous challenges in achieving the targeted MDGs. Recently, many African countries have been growing at more than five percent pre annum. However, many countries show smaller or negative growth rates. Hence, the most critical challenge for many countries is facilitating growth and sustaining enhanced growth.

Besides economic challenges, Climate change is another serious challenge. Climate variability is adversely affecting growth including agriculture and manufacturing. Other challenges include employment creation, scaling up financing and public sector investments, the poor state of infrastructure which is an impediment to domestic market and regional integration, and the challenges relating to planning, policy environment, monitoring and tracking performance.

Considering Ethiopia in further detail we learn that ecological, economic challenges are compounded by the ancient culture that does not promote competitive market economy due to natural and man made crises that has overwhelmed the population.

Here is a brief description of the facts as they face Ethiopians at the dawn of the New Millennium.

Ethiopia Facts

 Ethiopia is Africa's oldest independent country and, with the exception of a five-year occupation by Mussolini's Italy, has never been colonized.
 But it has become better known for its periodic droughts and famines, and for its long civil war and subsequent border war with Eritrea.
 Although relatively free from the coups that have plagued other African countries, Ethiopia's turmoil has been no less devastating.
 Drought, famine, war and ill-conceived policies brought millions to the brink of starvation in the 1970s and 1980s.


Ethiopia Facts

History-Ecology & politics
 Imperial Ethiopia: Haile Sellassie I ruled as a constitutional monarch (1930-1974).
 Fascist invasion & Patriotic struggle (1939-1944)
 In 1974 (draught, famine and war) helped topple Haile Sellassie. His regime was replaced by a self-proclaimed Marxist Military Junta .
 Marxist Liberation Fronts. With the overthrow of the junta in 1991, political and economic conditions stabilised somewhat.
 The Marxists Civil War-1998-200. War with Eritrea dealt a blow to stability and economic progress (>100,000 youths died at the cost of $One Million /day lost)
 A fragile truce has held, but the UN has warned that continuing disputes over the demarcation of the border threaten peace.

Ethiopia Facts

Lost Opportunities
 Abject Poverty: Ethiopia remains one of Africa's poorest states, with a very low income per capita and a population that is almost two-thirds illiterate.
 Challenges of food security. Many Ethiopians rely on food aid from abroad.
 Ecological crisis: Deforestation, draught and poor rains have created increasingly poor harvest.
 Uneducated, unemployable youth. More than half of the population are youth who are uneducated, unskilled and unemployable and highly impatient.



Ethiopia Facts

Demographics and Economics
 Population: 74.2 million (UN, 2005)
 Capital: Addis Ababa
 Area: 1.13 million sq km (437,794 sq miles)
 Major languages: Amharic, Oromo, Tigrinya, Somali
 Major religions: Christianity, Islam
 Life expectancy: 46 years (men), 49 years (women) (UN)
 Main exports: Coffee, hides, oilseeds, beeswax, sugarcane
 GNI per capita: US $110 (World Bank, 2005)




Media in Ethiopia

Private and Public Media
 State controlled media. Although the state controls radio and television, the print and broadcast media have seen dramatic changes since Mengistu's demise.
 Deregulation has been on the cards for some years. Would-be private radio broadcasters were given license application forms in 2004.
 External hired short waves. Some opposition groups beam radio broadcasts to Ethiopia using hired shortwave transmitters overseas.
 Increasing Private newspapers. The number of privately-owned newspapers has grown; some are available online. The Walta website also hosts a few pro-government English-language newspapers.
 Critical Private Press. The private press offers quite different reporting to the state-owned newspapers and is often critical of the government.
 A Spiral of repression. The relationship between the press and the authorities has sometimes been difficult. Media rights group Reporters Without Borders cited a "spiral of repression" against the private media in the wake of the violent protests that followed the 2005 elections.

Managing lost opportunities.

Incompetent Social Institutions
 Incompetent social institutions are the real cause of lost opportunities.
 Globalization and MDG are two critical development landmarks that Africa and especially Ethiopia have to deal with in this century regardless of the government in power.
 Good Governance. Key to advancing cause of globalization and MDGS: Development and institutionalization of Good Governance.
 Globalization is here to stay. is about transfer of knowledge (technology) and product (services) in a competitive market environment.
 It requires highly organized infrastructure
 skilled manpower with the
 appropriate fiscal and regulatory institutions.



Globalizing Ethiopia: Prerequisites for Globalization:
 Sound macroeconomic policies,
 Better governance,
 Legal and financial reform,
 Privatization,
 Price liberalization and
 Infrastructure investment
Good Governance
Accountability to stake holders
 Good governance is the synergistic win-win partnership of public and private stakeholders within the context of a transparent and accountable process.
 Good Governance = Stakeholders Competency in Transparency and Accountability. (GG=SAT)
 Competent Social Institutions promote Good Governance

The Millennium Development Goals

The MDGs are time-bound goals and targets that represent the international community's commitment to reduce extreme poverty in half and improve key indicators of human development by 2015 relative to their 1990 levels

8 critical goals and specific targets:
 Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
 Achieve universal primary education.
 Promote gender equality and empower women.
 Reduce child mortality.
 Improve maternal health.
 Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.
 Ensure environmental sustainability.
 Develop a global partnership for development.
Ethiopia’s Milestones on its own MDGs
1991-2005

Institutional Challenges

 Burden of geography and culture.
 Burden of age and unemployable young population.
 Burden of advanced countries sense of democracy.
 Burden of uneducated and unskilled leadership.
 Burden of transition and managing change.
 Burden of revolution and half baked ideologies.

Institutional Challenges

Opportunities for Civil Societies!
 Cultural Diversity (modern vs classical): burden of rapid modernization.
 Good Governance without borders. (Burden of totalitarianism)
 Challenges of Economy (burden of poverty)? Anchor nation
 Challenges of cultural diversity. (Ethnic and religious fault lines)
 Challenges of Millennium Development Goals. (Burden of Institutional Competencies)
 Challenges of Silent Majority to build Civil Societies.


Progress with Millennium Development Goals:

September 2007 will mark the mid-point on the road to 2015, the date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which were adopted by world leaders at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 as part of the Millennium Declaration.

African ministers of finance, planning and economic development are to meet in Addis from April 2-3 to discus how to accelerate growth on the continent to meet the MDGs. Recent assessments by ECA and others conclude that Africa is at risk of not achieving the goals by the date.


The MDGs are time-bound goals and targets that represent the international community's commitment to reduce extreme poverty in half and improve key indicators of human development by 2015 relative to their 1990 levels.


The committee of experts, who are meeting beforehand at a preparatory conference from March 29 to April 1, explained that this mid-point will be a powerful reminder to African governments and their development partners that time is fast running out and that the date of international commitment to meet the MDGs through needed investments and policies will soon be past.


During the two-day meeting the ministers are expected to discuss key topics including growth, employment and inequality in Africa; scaling up financing and public sector investments; planning, monitoring and tracking economic performance; peace and security; and partnerships and globalization.


The meeting also features a panel discussion involving Benjamin Mkapa, former president of the United Republic of Tanzania, Indian Minister of State and Planning Commission member, and other prominent persons. The panelists are also expected to bring their considerable experience in global economic policy/making to enrich the discussion on strategies and the way forward to achieving the MDGs. One important area for discussion will be the design of the right mix of interventions that African countries need to implement in order to accelerate growth and development.


According to experts in the field, Africa has numerous challenges in achieving the targeted MDGs. Recently, many African countries have been growing at more than five percent pre annum. However, many countries show smaller or negative growth rates. Hence, the most critical challenge for many countries is facilitating growth and sustaining enhanced growth.


Climate change is another challenge. Climate variability is adversely affecting growth including agriculture and manufacturing. Other challenges include employment creation, scaling up financing and public sector investments, the poor state of infrastructure which is an impediment to domestic market and regional integration, and the challenges relating to planning, policy environment, monitoring and tracking performance.


In addition to the ministers, more than 200 participants, including central bank governors, leading academics and researchers and international partners are expected to attend.