NEPAD can help reduce poverty - Annan

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Monday that a new partnership between the public and private sectors could halve the number of people living in poverty in Africa by the year 2015 and, generally, help the continent's development, the UN reported.

However, Africa's private sector needs to be more vibrant to fill investment gaps and spur growth, Annan said in a message to a meeting on the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), that started on Monday in the Senegalese capital, Dakar.

The main thrust of the 15-17 April meeting is how to finance NEPAD. It is being attended by top officials from more than 30 African countries and representatives of private and public corporations worldwide. Themes on its agenda include agriculture, energy, environment, infrastructure, and information and communications technology. The meeting ends on Wednesday with a special heads of state summit expected to focus on private sector initiatives.

"I hope that foreign businesses will respond to this new spirit, recognize the enormous potential that exists to create markets, jobs and wealth, and resist the simplistic view of Africa as a continent in endless turmoil," Annan said.

The meeting builds on an international conference on financing for development that took place in March in Monterrey, Mexico. It forms a foundation for further discussion on NEPAD at a G8 summit due in June in Canada, the UN added.

NEPAD is an initiative by African leaders aimed at ending poverty, putting the continent on a path to growth and development and promoting active participation in the world economy.

More details can be found at http://www.nepad.org/