I am very proud to be in put my voice out against poverty discussion on the Millennium Development Goals. The goals and their challenges are not really new to us. It has been with us and we know them.

What is new is the fact that we have now a better understanding and appreciated the depth of the issues involved grounded with a thorough knowledge base of country experiences. I believe that since we have got the understanding and known what is facing us, we must focus our efforts and rise to perform much better. And as the poorest area in the world, African people need productive and working international partnerships to make a difference.