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African Regional
>> Regional Overview >> African Regional Overview
Previous Years' Activities
2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997
Last updated: 19
THE DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE: Despite progress in such areas as economic growth, expanded health and education coverage (more girls are enrolled in school), sub-Saharan Africa is still confronted with daunting problems compared to the rest of the developing world, including low rates of economic growth, limited trade and investment, a high burden of disease, rampant corruption, endemic hunger and overall poverty. Health delivery systems, family planning services, and basic education struggle to meet needs that are exacerbated by a rapidly growing HIV/AIDS pandemic that has infected 25 million Africans and left 10 million children orphaned. Periodic natural disasters, such as last year's famine in the Congo basin and drought in the Horn of Africa, combined with conflicts afflicting more than a third of all sub-Saharan countries, have caused widespread need for humanitarian assistance. There are signs of reform and promise. Ten years ago, only four democracies were in place and today there are roughly nine democracies in sub-Saharan Africa. More countries are making reforms now, though not all reforms have yet been translated into good governance.
Despite relative gains in overall economic performance, Africa still lags behind the rest of the developing world in every major quality-of-life indicator. The U.S. national interests in Africa are multifold. Reducing poverty, mitigating conflict, and promoting democracy are critical goals for USAID and our development partners-are central, in fact, to U.S. national security and regional stability. A prosperous and democratic Africa will benefit the U.S. economy as a partner in trade and investment, will be a more effective collaborator in improving global health and confronting such diverse threats as environmental degradation and global terrorism, and will reduce the need to supply U.S. humanitarian funds in response to recurring crises. Ultimately, it will help create a more peaceful world in which the U.S. can thrive. Program objectives have been developed within this context that contribute to all USAID goals.
THE USAID PROGRAM:
FY 2002 Estimate: $272.342 million FY 2003 Request: $287.043 million The Program Data Sheets provided below cover 14 objectives for which USAID is requesting funds. These stress a number of common themes: (1) developing Africans' capacity to design and manage their own programs; (2) maintaining a focus on sustainability; (3) using cross-sectoral linkages to increase program performance; and (4) establishing partnerships-African, other international and U.S.-to maximize the impact of USAID resources.
The regional program works with numerous partners, supporting USAID bilateral missions and collaborating with African and international governmental and non-governmental organizations. Drawing on its continent-wide experience, USAID has developed a number of Africa regional activities to supplement bilateral programs. These activities are designed: (1) to provide assistance in a more cost-effective way by maximizing economies of scale; (2) to support, strengthen and accelerate African development and certain sub-regional African institutions that cannot be supported through bilateral programs; and (3) to respond quickly to new development challenges and crises.
The program itself comprises three distinct types of activities. First, USAID provides policy-relevant information and helps African countries and partners use this information to improve their policies, programs and strategies for development. Second, it builds Africa's capacity to manage its own development by strengthening African institutions. Third, it helps African countries and institutions build more effective regional channels for economic and technical cooperation. In FY 2002 the program will seek to deepen the scope and impact of its existing programs while strengthening cooperation among sectors in areas of increasing concern, such as HIV/AIDS and conflict mitigation.
ONGOING PROGRAMS FOR WHICH NO NEW FY 2002 OR FY 2003 FUNDING IS REQUESTED:
The USAID Other Africa Regional program includes the following objective for which USAID is not requesting new funds, but is continuing to expend funds already appropriated.
Number: Title: Last Notified: Planned Completion: 698-018 Adoption of Policies and Strategies for Increased Sustainability, Efficiency, and Equity of Basic Education Services FY02 CBJ, p. 883 FY2002 Agricultural Development: Hunger, now afflicting over half of Africa's 600 million people, threatens to become even more widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, studies show that agriculture is a cost-effective engine of economic growth. USAID's program and its initiative to Cut Hunger in Africa will focus on developing policy solutions to market problems, advancing technology development, and enhancing nutrition through micronutrient activities and biotechnology.
Economic Growth: Via the TRADE initiative and other programs, USAID will develop activities to support increased trade and investment by and in African countries. Building free markets is a crucial program goal. Activities will include improving the policy and regulatory environment, building relationships between U.S. and sub-Saharan African firms, strengthening African business groups to foster joint ventures, and increasing African access to the Internet and other information technologies.
Environment: USAID supports training and policy-change efforts that increase local control over community resources, a highly effective means of addressing environmental challenges. USAID has leveraged its efforts by coordinating donors, partners and research networks and by greater use of advanced information technology, including satellites and the Internet.
Human Capacity: USAID supports the reform of basic education systems in Africa. Its ongoing goal is to increase access to education for African children-especially girls-without lowering quality. USAID will design and begin implementation of the President's Initiative on Education in Africa. Another major focus will be working with African governments on managing the continuing impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on their educational systems.
Health and Population: USAID's activities work to improve the quality and sustainability of African health care services; all emphasize increased African capacity to design, manage and evaluate health systems. Skyrocketing HIV/AIDS rates have spurred USAID to help African countries test and apply aggressive new approaches to combating the disease. The program in family planning and reproductive health supports effective work in research, advocacy, social marketing of contraceptives, and behavior change communications. Other innovative USAID programs target polio, TB, malaria, malnutrition, respiratory diseases, diarrhea, vaccine-preventable illnesses and maternal/child health, as well as the widespread lack of access to health services.
Democracy and Governance: The program and a new anti-corruption initiative support those African countries that are striving to improve democratic governance by focusing on strengthening civil society and on decentralization, transparency and accountability in the public sector. Particularly promising are efforts to build community participation and management into programs in other sectors, such as education and health care, in ways that advance those sectors while reinforcing democracy and governance as a whole.
Humanitarian Assistance: Whether caused by floods, drought, pests or armed conflict, the onrush of humanitarian crises in Africa shows no sign of abating. These emergencies threaten lives, economic growth, democratic progress, and regional stability. USAID's regional crisis prevention and mitigation programs will continue to research and disseminate the tools needed to identify and avert impending crises, blunt their impact and helps nations to recover.
OTHER PROGRAM ELEMENTS: When appropriate, USAID's Africa regional program works in tandem with the pillar bureaus' programs to make sure that appropriated dollars are spent in the most cost-effective manner. While much of the Africa regional program is unique from a global development perspective, there are often cases where the region can leverage a pillar bureau's resources by using the pillar bureau's implementation mechanisms. This programmatic synergy makes USAID a more effective agency, in terms of both results vs. resources used and overall, long-term development impact.
OTHER DONORS: USAID continues to work with a number of international and bilateral donors.
Effective coordination by USAID enables donors to avoid program duplication, streamline efforts and pool monies for maximum impact. Notable among international donors are the World Bank, the European Union, the United Nations Children's Fund, and the World Health Organization's African Regional Office. Bilateral donors include Japan, Canada, Britain, Germany and the Scandinavian countries. The program is also closely coordinated with host country development strategies and works with African non-governmental organizations, building partnerships and networks with all of these.
Effective donor coordination ensures that efforts are not duplicated. Program Data Sheets
- 698-001 Broad-Based Support for Africa
- 698-013 Strengthen Cross-Sectoral Synergies Between Democracy and Governance and Africa Bureau Programs in Key Areas
- 698-014 Adoption of Improved Strategies, Programs and Activities for Accelerated, Sustainable, and Equitable Economic Growth
- 698-015 Adoption of Improved Agricultural Policies, Programs, and Strategies
- 698-016 Adoption of Affordable and More Effective Mechanisms for Producing, Sharing, and Using Development Information
- 698-017 Accelerate Progress in the Spread of Strategically Viable and Environmentally Sound Environmental Management Systems
- 698-019 Adoption of Policies and Strategies for Increased Sustainability, Quality, Efficiency and Equity of Health Services
- 698-020 Adoption of Policies and Strategies for Increased Sustainability and Quality of Family Planning Services
- 698-021 Adoption of Cost-Effective Strategies to Prevent the Spread and to Mitigate the Impact of HIV/AIDS
- 698-022 Improve Policies, Strategies, and Programs for Preventing, Mitigating, and Transiting Out of Crisis
- 698-023 Adoption of Effective Tools, Methods and Approaches for Improving Application of Environmental Procedures and Strategies
- 698-024 Polio Eradicated in Selected Countries in a Manner that Builds Sustainable Immunization Programs
- 698-025 Education for Development and Democracy Initiative
- 698-X26 Support to Africa Basic Education
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Last Updated on: May 29, 2002 |
