Africa: To see its promise fulfilled

BY ROSALIE E. DUNBAR, NEWS EDITOR

Over the years, Africa has often been depicted as needy and underdeveloped. And it's true that one can't ignore the deep and serious challenges to health, safety, and stability in many of its countries. But at the heart of this continent is its energy, beauty, intelligence, and promise.

Those are among the qualities that are helping Africa to move forward. And there are signs of progress. Uganda has reduced HIV cases from 20 percent in 1991 to around 6.5 percent in 2001. In Tanzania 1,000 new schools have been built and 18,000 teachers recruited. Mozambique has reduced poverty from 70 percent to 55 percent and doubled the number of children in school.

There is still much work to do, however. About 300 million people south of the Sahara are living below the international poverty line of $1 a day, and that number is expected to grow to 404 million by 2015. Yet there are areas that are rich in diamonds, minerals, oil, and other resources. The need is to harness the riches of Africa and at the same time overcome these debilitating conditions.

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