Image: Reuters

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was part of the panel that drafted the 2010 Africa Progress Report

The report was launched this morning during the 21st World Economic Forum on Africa.

The document reviews the continent's progress over the past year with regards to sustainable social and economic development and looks at the year ahead - focusing on trends, challenges and opportunities.

The report was drafted by a panel that includes former UK prime minister Tony Blair, activist Bob Geldof, former Nigerian president Olesugun Obasanjo, and former MD of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Michel Camdessus.

"Partnerships between African governments and the private sector can bridge existing gaps in Africa when it comes to social and economic development," said the report's chairperson and former United Nations (UN) secretary-general, Kofi Annan.  

"Over the past year, these types of partnerships have vastly improved accessibility to healthcare across the continent. They have helped to improve people's access to financing as well as small-scale farmers' access to credit. Partnerships have also transformed businesses across regions and increased productivity.

"Obviously, progress across Africa has been mixed, and some African countries have done better than others. There is no doubt that there are many challenges to be tackled," Annan noted, stating that good governance and leadership could not be replaced by partnerships. "They form the core of progress. African governments, for instance, need to ensure that [the continent's] natural resources also benefit the people," he said.

Obasanjo, who was also present during the report's presentation, said he agreed with Annan. "African governments need to fulfil their commitments to their people. They should stick to the promises they made before and during election time. Good governance rests on two pillars: to effectively determine what needs to be done to help their people; and to show the courage to do what needs to be done."

Camdessus acknowledged that partnerships between government, the private sector and other players were crucial to create sustainable levels of social and economic development in Africa. She stressed, however, that civil society had to be involved.    

"In Mozambique, we have our very own G20, which comprises the country's 20 major civil society networks," she explained. "This group meets with the government and the other development parties once a year, to review what has been done during the previous year and what should be done in year to come. By doing this, we are holding everyone accountable regarding the promises they have made on development, ensuring poor people are benefiting."

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