Africa must find a way to meet its basic needs, extricate itself from poverty and mainstream itself in the global economy, without undermining the very resources and environment on which it depends for survival, ECA’s Director of Sustainable Development Division, Josue Dione, said in Addis Ababa today.

In an opening statement at the high-level launch of the African 10-Year Framework Programme (10YFP), Mr. Dione said by most assessments, it was clear that Africa would not meet the MDG targets on basic needs such as food, health, shelter, water and sanitation.

Yet, the continent continues to face challenges in high population growth, rapid urbanization and increasing environmental and natural resource degradation.

“This is why I am delighted that the framework programme has focused on energy, water and sanitation; habitat and sustainable urban development and industrial development,” he said.

Mr. Dione said ECA had, over the years, been paying closer attention to all these thematic areas collaborating with the African Union and African Development Bank (AfDB) in developing the Africa Water Vision 2025; instituting the African Water Information Clearing House and collaborating with eight UN agencies and the AfDB in preparing the biennial African Water Development Report.

ECA also carried out two pilot studies on minerals cluster development which identified potential areas for natural resources cluster development in Africa and strategic options for their development, said Mr. Dione.

“Changing production and consumption patterns in the continent requires that linkages between the natural resources sector and local economies are maximized, local beneficiation of raw materials is promoted, value addition is increased, and clusters of competitive industries anchored on the natural resources endowments are fomented,” he said