What is a Poverty
Reduction Strategy Without
Science and Technology?
A Review of Science andTechnology and Poverty
Reduction Strategy Papers
in Sub-Saharan Africa
O. Akin Adubifa

ATPS SPECIAL PAPER SERIES No. 18

List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
ADLI
GDP
HIPC
IMF
NGO
NPEP
PEAP
PRSP
SPA
UNDP

Agricultural Development-Led Industrialization
Gross Domestic ProductHeavily Indebted Poor Country
International Monetary Fund
Non governmental organization
National Poverty Elimination Plan PRSP
Poverty Eradication Plan
Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
Strategy for Poverty Alleviation
United Nations Development ProgrammePublished by the African Technology Policy Studies Network, P.O. Box 10081, 00100
General Post Office, Nairobi, Kenya.

© 2004 African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

PUBLISHED BY ATPS COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
Printed by Newtec Concepts
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ISBN: 9966-916-08-3

Table of Contents
Preface
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
1. Introduction

3

2. Background to PRSPs

6

3. Review of Selected Countries
3.1 Ethiopia
3.2 The Gambia
3.3 Ghana
3.4 Kenya
3.5 Lesotho
3.6 Malawi
3.7 Tanzania
3.8 Uganda
3.9 Zambia

8
9
11
14
16
19
23
25
27
30

4. An Assessment of African PRSPs

33

5. Science and Technology in Poverty Reduction

37

6. Recommendations

43

Preface
Most low-income countries are receiving debt relief under two assistance programmes of the Bretton
Woods institutions, namely:• from the World Bank, through the International Development Association• from the International Monetary Fund, through the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility
All countries receiving this assistance are required to develop their own poverty reduction strategies.
About 70 countries are now addressing this. Many of the external development agencies havereportedly expressed strong support for developing and exploring these strategies, and have further
indicated their willingness to work with the affected governments in preparing these strategies. An
additional important justification for developing the strategies is that development partners haveagreed in principle to adjust their own programmes to support the implementation of the strategies.1
That is a significant step forward in the international coalition of efforts to reduce poverty substantiallyin the most affected countries.
Poverty is a multidimensional problem that goes beyond economic issues. Its elements include
social, political and cultural considerations. Therefore, its solution can not be based solely on
economic policies, but on a comprehensive well-coordinated set of measures. Although economic
growth is the single most important factor influencing poverty, particularly because macroeconomic
stability is essential for high and sustainable rates of growth, the strategic orientation of science andtechnology in facilitating the attainment of economic objectives is often overlooked. Admittedly, thecapacity of sub-Saharan African countries to develop and apply science and technology is low; but
the potential of bringing the benefits of science to society is greatest in such low-income countries,
because modest levels of science and technology investment can leverage multiple opportunities
for growth and development. Herein lies the compelling argument for integrating science andtechnology applications into the planning and execution of strategies for poverty reduction.
Basically, a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) is expected to review the country’s key sectoral
policies and programmes, and ascertain how well they are functioning to reduce poverty. Thisshould point the way to needed reforms. Analysts recognize that there are many causes of the current
1

Jeni Klugman, Overview to PRSP, World Bank (May 2001)

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ATPS SPECIAL PAPER SERIES N O. 18

poor performance of African economies in reducing poverty. Such analysts have generally
recommended multi-directional action to be taken on both domestic and international arena. These
sets of recommendations usually fall into two categories of issues:• identification of better and more effective strategies to reduce poverty• improved mechanisms of delivery of external assistance to reduce poverty.
These often result in fine policy recommendations. However, many such recommendations fallshort of addressing the capacities that would be required to effectively implement the programmes,
as well as the level and sources of the financing that can assure their timely and systematic
implementation.
This paper examines the context and present approach of sub-Saharan African countries to organizeand prepare the strategy papers that are required by the World Bank and the International Monetary
Fund (IM F). The paper is intended to provide an opportunity for locally-based African scholars anddevelopment practitioners who are presently excluded from the process to come on board andcontribute to the establishment of a sound process that is truly country-owned. The paper also
contributes to the formulation of appropriate strategies and realistic programmes that could eradicate
poverty in the long term.

1.

Introduction

Poverty has many dimensions. The more commonly visible ones include low levels of income andconsumption, low levels of education, poor health, physical insecurity, unemployment or heavy
burden of physical labour, social isolation, and disempowerment. Studies and surveys in Africancountries continue regularly to quantify these and other dimensions of poverty, mostly in economic
terms. But most of these are economic rather than policy studies; hence they proffer little in terms of
the social restructuring that would be essential for a truly sustainable human development thatprovides a sound context for eliminating poverty in the continent.
Poverty is not only a dominant feature of sub-Saharan Africa’s social and economic landscape, it isalso almost always found in its several forms in both urban and rural areas, perhaps differing only inintensity. With more than 70% of the population living in rural areas, results of household surveys
show that rural dwellers are usually poorer on a per capita basis than their urban counterparts. Some
60% of Africa’s rural population, consisting chiefly of smallholder farmers, nomads, artisans, fishermen,
and indigenous people, are said to fall below the poverty line.2
The persistent poverty of the continent has always posed a development challenge to the international
community, which cannot be said to have done everything possible to eradicate poverty, either in
sub-Saharan Africa or elsewhere. International concerns have been growing more rapidly than the
global efforts to address poverty. The former is measurable by the multiplicity of meetings andconferences convened regularly to address the scourge, and the latter is measured by the volume ofinternational aid directed to the implementation of poverty-reducing initiatives. A World Bank study3
reported that despite an increase in the average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in subSaharan Africa in the 1980s, poverty levels actually remained relatively unchanged. But experts also
note that GDP growth alone cannot achieve a significant reduction in poverty in countries that
continue to report negative growth in per capita consumption. The need to eliminate poverty in Africa
has always been claimed to be on the national and international agenda.

23Report by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
World Bank Ref.

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ATPS SPECIAL PAPER SERIES N O. 18

At the International Level
Over the past decade the development community has raised its level of concern over the incidenceof poverty in most developing countries, and has increasingly elevated poverty reduction to one of its
highest priorities. Some of the important multilateral programmes and instruments launched to fightpoverty in Africa have included the United Nations Development Assistance Framework; the United
Nations Development Programme’s Common Country Assessment; the World Bank’s Country
Assistance Strategy, Poverty Reduction Strategy Credit, and the Comprehensive Development
Framework; and the International Monetary Fund’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility.
A significant landmark in the international recognition of the global responsibility for addressing
poverty is the World Summit for Social Development that was held in Copenhagen in 1995, andwhich culminated in the commitment of governments to the goal of eradicating poverty by promoting
consensus on new welfare initiatives. These initiatives are to be taken in respect of people living inpoverty, so that they could gain access to resources for improving their existence. Such resources
would include land, credit, education, knowledge, essential public services, and technology.
Modest reductions in poverty have been achieved in only a few of the affected African countries,
while progress has been considerably less than hoped for in others. All these point to the past failurecaused by inadequate attention and practical action at the international level, the weak structure forpolicy planning and implementation at the national level, and the poor understanding at the community
level of the dynamics of poverty. Many questions arise:• For one, it is questionable whether the level of resources provided globally for fighting
poverty in African countries was realistic in the first place.
• Secondly, it is doubtful whether targets set without secured financing could have been
meaningful.
• Then there are questions about the efficacy of the delivery mechanisms of the available
resources, especially the direct aid component.
• And, finally, in assessing the impact of aid on poverty reduction in Africa, did the international
community engage in unrealistic expectations?
At the National Level
The primary question at the national level is about the nature of governance and the stability of manyof the sub-Saharan African countries. Some of the countries are just emerging from long years ofinternal conflict or cross-border clashes. Security of life and property is becoming a serious concern
in key countries like Nigeria and South Africa. And yet, these are the conditions that shape theenvironment in which poverty reduction has to be attempted.
While it is clear that most countries of sub-Saharan Africa are determined to pursue development
aggressively, and are indeed engaged in serious efforts of national planning and economic policy
reform, it is not so clear that all the stakeholders have been brought in to be part of the process. For
example, little is documented in these countries about what roles the government allows the private
sector and civil society to play, and how well the institutional structures for development function. It isWHAT IS A POVERTY R EDUCTION STRATEGY WITHOUT SCIENCE & T ECHNOLOGY?

5

noteworthy that many countries are becoming less sensitive to the previously unpopular issue ofgender equity. Much progress has been made as gender advocates have consistently scoredsuccesses in mobilizing women around political issues, and in demanding the right of their fullparticipation in decision making, rather than just the mere privilege of women’s presence in
consultative forums.
Despite the persistent and pervasive nature of poverty and the visible decline in the ability of African
governments to meet the challenge, sectoral ministries in many countries continue to describe theirown efforts as astoundingly successful, with lavish credits to the “vision” of the incumbent government
and its political agenda. Many of these assessments are usually not based on any measurable
indicators or credible data, nor do they relate to any set targets or benchmarks that should have been
established in the first place.

2.

Background to PRSPs

A new initiative called the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) was launched in December
1999 when the Executive Boards of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF),
approved it as a new policy instrument specifically designed as a framework document to serve theneeds of the Bank and the Fund respectively in providing concessionary financing to low-income
countries. It was intended as a basis for approving official external debt forgiveness which is normallyprovided by the Bank under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative. It would similarly
serve as a pre-condition for providing IMF financing to low-income countries under the Poverty
Reduction and Growth Facility as well as the World Bank’s International Development Association
facility for concessionary lending. PRSP essentially becomes another new approach for addressing
the provision of concessionary assistance to poor countries who must wrestle with the new dynamics,
requirements, and conditionality of the new process. The strategy paper, when considered satisfactory,
would form the country’s basis for seeking external assistance and debt relief. It is also intended tohelp stakeholders in a country shape an appropriate framework for aid coordination, aid delivery,
and monitoring of programme performance.
With this new approach the World Bank and IMF would, in effect, raise the level of their control andinfluence on the economic planning of participating countries. Clearly, there is now a compellingneed to significantly raise the capacities of these countries to be able to meet the requirements ofthis new instrument; or, more usefully, to be able to translate major components of their present
economic planning framework into a PRSP without sacrificing the gains of previous programme
initiatives.
The PRSPs , as defined by the World Bank and IMF, consist of a comprehensive analytical framework,
integrating macroeconomic, structural, sectoral, and social considerations. The framework is to lay
out a set of poverty reduction measures and policies. In doing this, both institutions hope that thisapproach would not only be used to formulate poverty reducing plans, but also be used to strengthen
local ownership of existing national policies and programmes, and to link the use of debt relief(under the Enhanced Indebted Poor Country Initiative) to poverty reduction programmes. Nonetheless,the Bank and the Fund continue to stress that the primary objective of the PRSP approach is to
reduce poverty in all its forms in a given country. In order to promote in-country capacity building it isalso important to expect the government to uphold the principle of a participatory, country-driven
process that could better ensure local ownership of the initiative in both its formulation andimplementation.

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7

The World Bank and the IMF appropriately recognize that the process of preparing and implementing
these strategies will require a lot of learning-by-doing and will, therefore, take some time to become
effectively institutionalized. If this goal is achieved the PRSP approach then certainly holds muchpromise for reducing poverty in sub-Saharan African countries. The process could harness theinternal energy and resourcefulness of these countries, if well supported with development assistance.
In order to enhance these possibilities the Bank and the Fund have jointly prepared a PRSP
Sourcebook which is designed to provide guidance, and also prepared analytical tools for thenational task forces that would embark on a poverty reduction planning process in their country. The
Sourcebook contains a collection of broad policy guidelines, examples of best practices frominternational experiences elsewhere, and technical notes that help to articulate or clarify major
issues concerning the process.
Although the majority of low-income countries are to be found in Africa, the PRSP initiative is being
undertaken by other affected geographical areas, particularly in Europe and Central Asia, Latin
America and the Caribbean, East Asia, and the Middle East. It is envisaged that low-income countries
could take as much as two years to prepare a satisfactory strategy paper. These countries havetherefore been encouraged to first prepare an interim paper (I-PRSP) which should, at the least,
include a well-articulated statement of national commitment to poverty reduction, a clear elaborationof the nature of poverty in that country, a description of past and current efforts to address poverty, andan initial proposal for preparing the full-scale strategy paper (PRSP)
Currently, as many as 34 sub-Saharan African countries are undertaking the PRSP process in one
form or another. Most of them have prepared an interim paper (the I-PRSP), as a prelude to embarking
upon the process for preparing a comprehensive full strategy paper. Nine of the I-PRSPs are reviewed
in chapter 3.

3.

Review of Selected Countries

The World Bank and the IMF have carefully detailed the issues that countries should address before
they can formulate a reasonable strategy for reducing poverty within a medium term range. These
are contained in their elaborate Sourcebook and Background Papers. The countries with weakercapacities were encouraged to begin the process by developing an Interim PRSP which would
contain, at the minimum:• a statement of commitment by the government to poverty reduction;• an outline of the nature of the poverty problem, its pattern, its extent, and the main elementsof the strategies and programmes that had been previously employed to address it;• a process for preparing the full PRSP, with appropriate details of activities, timeline, budgetary
implications, and anticipated sources of funding; and• a three-year policy matrix and macroeconomic framework.
Ordinarily, the PRSPs would be subject to scrutiny and final approval by the boards of the Bank andthe IMF, through a staff assessment process that expects to score the papers on the following basis:• nature of the participatory process;• quality of the poverty analysis with respect to its key determinants;• setting of appropriate targets for poverty reduction;• usefulness of the monitoring system in tracking poverty trends and evaluating
programme impact;• quality of the macroeconomic framework and its public action priorities; and• strength of the proposals for structural, sectoral, and social policy reforms.
The assessment here, however, is not on the basis of World Bank and IMF guidelines, but in thecontext of how the proposed strategies can lead to real and significant reduction of poverty, and how
much direct and immediate relief the process could bring to the poor communities. A different
assessment would be necessary to determine how well the strategy papers meet World Bank/IMF
expectations.
The I-PRSP is intended to present a broad picture of a country’s poverty reduction initiatives to date,
and to elaborate on the preparation of the PRSP that would subsequently be undertaken in thefollowing months.

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WHAT IS A POVERTY R EDUCTION STRATEGY WITHOUT SCIENCE & T ECHNOLOGY?

9

The strategy papers of Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda,
and Zambia are reviewed below for suitability and effectiveness in meeting the challenge of poverty
reduction in today’s rapidly-advancing global development environment that is driven rather strongly
by new technologies. Levels of poverty will continue to be measured by indicators that reflect nonstatic world standards.
3.1

Ethiopia

Ethiopia is one of the least-developed countries in the world. Even though it relies on agriculture,poverty is still wide spread, with 45.5% of the entire population reported to be below the poverty line.
Although there are no concrete data on the employment situation in the country it is generally known
that unemployment is very high. The government claims satisfactory availability of data on poverty,
having carried out a survey of household income, consumption and expenditure in 1995/96. The
government also conducted a series of annual welfare monitoring surveys between 1996 and 1998
on access to education, health, water, sanitation, etc. It has used the resulting information to produce
a 1999 report on Poverty in Ethiopia. A more recent survey, begun in 2000 is still underway.
Past and Current Poverty Reduction Efforts
Ethiopia has been implementing the IMF’s Structural Adjustment Programme and the government
had adopted an Agricultural Development-Led Industrialization (ADLI) strategy since the mid 1990s.
This strategy was expected to achieve a growth rate that would help reduce poverty in the country.
The government claims that, indeed, there has been a decrease in poverty as a result of economic
reform and ADLI strategy which was supported by external assistance. The data presented on
macroeconomic indicators of economic performance during the 1990s tend to support thisconclusion. The GDP grew at an annual average rate of 5.5%, with sectoral growth rate of 3.4% for
agriculture, 7.3% for industry, and 7.7 % for services.
In 1996, the government established the Ethiopian Social Rehabilitation and Development Fund asa social investment to help improve the well being of the poor through community-based projects
that strengthen social and economic assets. It is reported that more than 1,700 projects have alreadybeen completed under this fund (mostly for water supply, education, health and sanitation). There is,however, no information on the nature of these projects, nor the eventual benefits to society.
A number of sector programmes and projects have been launched since the ADLI strategy wasformulated. These include multi-year programmes in road construction, education, health andenergy as well as projects for rural and agricultural development.
In agriculture, a number of country-wide programmes have been attempted since 1990. The first
one focused on food production in areas of high potential and reliable rainfall that allows fertilizer
utilization. The government claims that the programme achieved considerable increases in crop
yields, particularly for maize, wheat, millet and barley. The second country-wide programme focusedon dry land agriculture where rainfall tends to be limited. The government reported mixed progressin this area, and claimed substantial improvement in soil and water conservation; but increases in

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ATPS SPECIAL PAPER SERIES N O. 18

output were insignificant. The third programme was started in 1999 to cover livestock production,with significant growth predicted for the medium term. For the next five years the government
intends to strengthen the existing programmes, hoping to increase productivity through additional
training of extension workers and increasing the supply of improved seed varieties.
In the social sectors, education and health are given priority within the strategy to eradicate poverty.
The new Education and Training Policy and Strategy focuses on expanding educational opportunities.
Several hundred new primary school facilities would be constructed and existing ones upgraded.
Thousands of primary school teachers would also receive pre-service training to enhance theirability to meet the standard of the new school curriculum. In the health sector, the overall goal of thegovernment programme is to establish a strong institutional base that can facilitate the achievementof the sector’s long-range goals. Recognizing that the country’s HIV/AIDS infection level is among
the highest in the world, and that previous efforts to arrest the expansion of the epidemic had beenineffective, the government is now formulating new approaches with World Bank funding. It has
prepared a new five-year strategic plan for this purpose for the period 2000 to 2004, with projects tobe organized at national, regional and local levels.
The Interim Strategy Paper
The I-PRSP is intended to present a broad picture of the country’s poverty reduction initiatives sofar, and to elaborate on the preparation of the PRSP that would be undertaken in the coming months.
However, the paper goes further to discuss the adjustment policies that the government intends toimplement, especially concerning prices and markets, subsidies, tariff reduction, and convertibilityof currency. But the past two years have witnessed a considerable increase in government expenditurefor defence, as the country engaged in a major conflict with Eritrea.
In attempting to follow the PRSP guidelines provided by the World Bank/IMF the country is reshaping
its focus on poverty to now consist of four key elements: ADLI Strategy, judiciary and civil service
reform, decentralization and empowerment, and capacity building. However, the I-PRSP does notdiscuss any details of how these blocks would lead to a reduction in poverty.
The ADLI brings agriculture and industrialization together into a single development framework; thedevelopment of agriculture is expected to provide a source of raw material as well as a market basefor industrialization. While agricultural growth levels in crops and grains could improve the foodsecurity situation, there continues to be a significant threat of droughts which have occurred rather
frequently in the country. Irrigation would therefore need to become a pillar of the agriculturaldevelopment of the country. The science and technology implications of this are yet to be recognized
and addressed.
As a component of the ADLI strategy, industrialization is expected to grow from existing projects in
manufacturing and utilities. It is not clear if these by themselves are enough in size and number tosustain the stated expectation. As for private investment, the government intends to encourage this bytaking three types of measures, namely:

WHAT IS A POVERTY R EDUCTION STRATEGY WITHOUT SCIENCE & T ECHNOLOGY?

•
•
•

11

remove regulatory impediments to allow existing policies to work better
encourage public-private sector partnership through necessary dialogue
improve business environment and make incentives for manufacturing more attractive.

The strategy also considers the possibility of export-oriented agriculture and manufacturing. It foresees
a potential for growth of income and foreign exchange if the domes tic production can be mobilized
for this purpose. Towards this end the government formulated an export strategy in 1998 that included
the creation of a consultative forum between exporters and the government, as well as theestablishment of an export promotion agency.
Capacity Building
In 1998, the government prepared a strategy and a programme framework for capacity building,
based on projected external assistance. The programme was to promote human resource
development and institution building with a primary focus on smallholder agriculture and the public
sector. The programme would also encompass the training of farmers, supporting micro-financeinstitutions, and strengthening private and public sector organizations that are pursuing agriculturaldevelopment. In addition, capacity building for the public sector would give priority to the judiciary,
tax administration and civil service reform. The implementation plans and achievements of theseprojects were not elaborated upon and the level of external support so far received was not disclosed.
Preparation of the PRSPThe preparation of the Interim-PRSP was said to have been preceded by debates conducted atnumerous public gatherings under the auspices of the electoral process for the May 2000 elections.
Additional consultations were carried out with selected audiences in the civil service, among electedpublic officials, and with professionals from the non governmental organization (NGO) and private
sector communities.
The process for preparing the full PRSP would build on these past efforts. An initial draft will be basedon the Second Five-Year Development Plan which was formulated on the basis of the said
consultations. A Steering Committee will be appointed by government to oversee the process that,among other tasks, will disseminate the draft widely at the district, regional and federal levels in orderto deepen the consultations that have already taken place.
Two detailed surveys of household incomes, expenditures, consumption, and demography wereapparently carried out as recently as 1999. These surveys would be used to generate data on poverty
indicators and would form the baseline data for setting the targets of poverty reduction for the period
2001 to 2003.
3.2

The Gambia

The Gambia is one of the poorest countries in the world and has a very narrow resource base. The
country has been addressing poverty issues with different programmes for almost 20 years. In 1985

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ATPS SPECIAL PAPER SERIES N O. 18

The Gambia formulated an Economic Recovery Programme followed in 1990 by the Programme
for Sustained Development, both supported generously by donors until the change of government in1997. However, both programmes failed to achieve any significant growth rate. In 1998 The Gambia
then entered into the World Bank’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility arrangement.
Poverty in the Gambia
A 1989 study by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) showed that 60% of the Gambian
population lived below the poverty line then. The 1998 Household Economic Survey classified 69%
as poor. The number is believed to have worsened since then. Causes of sustained poverty in the
country are said to include lack of income opportunities, high population growth rate (4.2%), andpoor educational infrastructure. With income unevenly distributed by household and gender, thefarming communities are hardest hit by poverty. Yet the agricultural sector is the source of income forabout 70% of the Gambian population.
Past and Current Poverty Reduction Efforts
The series of studies conducted on Gambia’s economy in the late 1980s led to the design of the first
Strategy for Poverty Alleviation (SPA-I) which was presented to donors in 1994. Four priority programme
areas were highlighted as a response to the key poverty issues raised by the ILO study. These, listed
below, were subsequently implemented with external assistance:• enhancing the production capacity of the poor
• improving access to, and performance of public services• capacity building at local levels• promoting participatory communication processes
A subsequent programme assessment showed that the achievements of the SPA-I were few andlimited. The beneficiaries reported improvements in access to primary health care services and in
the enrolment rates of primary education. They also reported improvements in food technology
capacities. The African Development Bank helped to establish a programme to provide financial
services to support entrepreneurship and training among the poor. The following were considered
as four major outcomes of the process:• poverty was redefined to include vulnerability, food security, and access to assets• previously sensitive issues like gender equity and decentralization were placed on thenational policy agenda• an otherwise strained relationship between government and the NGO community improved
and was strengthened• political ownership of the strategy was enhanced.
The Interim Strategy Paper
A review of the shortcomings of SPA-I made it possible for the government to rethink its approach topoverty reduction, leading to the design of a second Strategy for Poverty Alleviation (SPA-II), which will
be equivalent to the PRSP. The review paper, now the I-PRSP, reiterated government commitment toWHAT IS A POVERTY R EDUCTION STRATEGY WITHOUT SCIENCE & T ECHNOLOGY?

13

poverty reduction, based on a review of past and present efforts, and proposed new action with hopefor decisive results. It also proposed that SPA-II should be an integral part of the government’s growthstrategy and should adhere to the required consultative process.
Preparation of the PRSPThe new strategy would build on the strengths of the existing participatory Vision 2020 process
which highlights the range of industries within which the economic transformation process in The
Gambia should take place. Vision 2020 and SPA-II would overlap in programme directions, especiallyas the former advocates the translation of the current economic growth programme into an antipoverty strategy by a careful choice of development areas, pro-poor public investment, and promotionof private investment in labour intensive industries.
Perhaps the most relevant among the government’s proposed SPA-II programme areas are:a. Income-generating activities in agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, forestry, micro enterprises,
etc. The following programmes were identified:• assist small scale agri-business development• small scale cottage industry development• small scale trade and services development• savings and credit institutions for the poor
b. Redistributive activities. Noting that poverty is fostered by unequal distribution of assets andaccess to social infrastructure, the programmes identified were:• ensuring budgetary allocations that favour access of the poor to vital support services• explicit targeting of social spending• improving and expanding utility services to the poor
• providing a social safety net
The Government, therefore, envisages the design and implementation of a social investment fund,active labour programmes, and micro-enterprise development assistance.
c. Food security. The strategy calls for actions towards the improvement of food crops and livestockyields, as well as implementation of nutrition programmes.
Institutional Arrangements
A task force has been formed, consisting of representatives from government, donors, private sector,
and non-governmental organizations to undertake what is presently an interim strategy paper (IPRSP). The task force is reviewing all existing national poverty reports, surveys and studies. Its final
product would be a draft outline for the preparation of SPA-II. Under the task force, technical working
groups have also been formed for the health, education and trade sectors.
SPA-II is meant to be a comprehensive national development framework that links macro-economicplanning to poverty reduction. There is still a need to develop the benchmarks for performanceindicators in order to monitor its outcomes. Coordination and monitoring of SPA-II would primarilybe the function of the SPA Coordinating Office in the Department of State for Finance and Economic

ATPS SPECIAL PAPER SERIES N O. 18

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Affairs. The office is being assisted by the UNDP to commission necessary studies. The government
reports that the recently improved aid-coordination policy encourages bi-lateral and multi-lateral
consultations in the design and implementation as well as monitoring of the proposed programmes.
3.3

Republic of Ghana

The Government of Ghana has declared the primary aim of its economic development programme
to be the reduction of poverty and general improvement in the welfare of its citizens. The poverty
reduction strategy that was developed in 1995 laid emphasis on economic growth, integrated ruraldevelopment, expansion of employment opportunities, and improved access of the poor to basic
public services. The main objectives of that strategy were:• a reduction in the incidence of poverty• strengthened capacities for the poor and vulnerable to earn income• reduced gender, geographic, and socio-economic disparities• a healthier, better educated, and more productive population
Poverty in Ghana
The I-PRSP claims that the percentage of the Ghanaian population defined as poor had declined
from 51% in 1991-92 to about 43% in 1998-99, but most of the poverty reduction had been concentrated
in the urban areas. Poverty was also noted to be highest among food crop farmers who constituteabout 58% of the poor. The government is committed to establishing a continuous poverty monitoring
system and has designed one within the framework of a decentralized planning system whichemphasizes community and district level participation in decision making. The monitoring of poverty
and social conditions is carried out through a number of instruments, including:• the Ghana Living Standards Survey• the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey• the Core Welfare Indicators Questionnaire• the National Poverty Reduction Programme• the Social Investment Fund• the Village Infrastructure Programme
These surveys provide data on the living standards of the population and the results coverdemographic, economic, social and household indicators.
Past and Current Poverty Reduction Efforts
The government expects its Development Strategy for Poverty Reduction to be the basis for
consultations with all social and development partners since it provides a clear statement of thedevelopment strategy and its intention of reducing poverty in the country. It is based on the GhanaVision 2020 document from which a rolling plan for 2001-2005 is being prepared.

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15

Although the Medium Term Macroeconomic Framework is based on a set of principles and policies
expected to reduce poverty and improve living standards, the government admitted that it would takemuch longer to reach a broad consensus on this framework. It had, therefore, tentatively selected
some specific objectives to be pursued during the period 2000-2002. These included setting oftargets that would enable it to achieve a real growth rate of 4.5% in 2001 and 5.5% in 2002; and also
bringing down the inflation rate from 23% in 2000 to 5% in 2002.
A key component of the strategy addresses the agriculture sector for which the government hasdeveloped the Accelerated Agriculture Growth and Development Strategy that is based on thefollowing five elements:• promotion of selected products for improved access to markets• development of technology for sustainable natural resource management• improved access to agricultural financial services• enhanced human resource and institutional capacity
Another programme, the Agriculture Services Sector Investment Programme, is expected to be usedas the vehicle for implementing the strategy. This programme is aimed at reducing poverty andimproving food security by supporting technological changes and innovation in crop, livestock,fishery and forestry production and also in agro-processing. Special attention is being given to the
production, marketing, pricing, infrastructure, and financial arrangements for the cocoa sector. A
development strategy for the sector will aim to increase cocoa production by 25% by the year 2004/
5. A steering committee comprising major stakeholders in the industry was established to facilitate
the implementation of the strategy.
Preparation of the PRSPa.
The government is using the Vision 2020 and its consultative process to prepare a Second
Policy Framework and Medium Term Plan (2001-05), and will rationalize the individual
programmes into a Second Medium Term Development Plan and a National Programmeof Action.
b.
The National Economic Forum will organize meetings to facilitate dialogue between theprivate sector, public sector, and the general community.
c.
Preparation of the PRSP will be integrated into the Ghana Vision 2020 since poverty reduction
remains a priority under this initiative. The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Poverty Reduction
will work with the National Development Planning Commission to ensure that the Strategy isreflected in the national budget.
d.
The indicative time table expected that the poverty reduction strategy would be finalized in
February 2001, and the PRSP submitted to the World Bank/IMF in April 2001.
Institutional Arrangements
The government has established an institutional framework for coordinating poverty reduction
initiatives. This consists of a high level Inter-Ministerial Committee on Poverty Reduction as thehighest policy-making organ for this purpose, an inter-agency and multi-sectoral Technical Committee

on Poverty, and a series of sectoral working groups. There are planning coordinating units at the
district level that have responsibilities for coordinating and mainstreaming poverty reduction activities.
3.4

Republic of Kenya

The Government of Kenya has prepared an I-PRSP covering the years 2001 –2003. The paper
outlines Kenya’s primary development goal of achieving a broad-based sustainable improvement in
the welfare of its citizens. The paper acknowledges the need to establish a framework in which theprivate sector, NGOs, and civil society organizations can play a role alongside government in meetingthe challenge of poverty reduction. It enumerates the various manifestations of poverty and calls forthe formulation of multi-dimensional policies and programme interventions to seek a permanent
solution.
Poverty in Kenya
The poor have been defined in Kenya as those who cannot afford basic food and non-food items.
They consist of small farmers, pastoralists, agricultural and casual labourers, unskilled and semiskilled workers, female-headed households, physically handicapped, HIV/AIDS orphans, and street
children. The poor constitute 52% of the population, with women in the majority, and they mostly livein the rural areas. The national Welfare Monitoring Surveys conducted in 1992, 1994, and 1997,
along with the Participatory Poverty Assessments of 1994 and 1996 all produced results that were notencouraging - the poor continue to increase in number, from 3.7 million in 1992 to 11.5 million in
1994, and estimated to be 15 million today.
Local studies indicate that women are more vulnerable to poverty than men. For example, 69% of
the active female population work as subsistence farmers, compared to 43% of their malecounterparts; and subsistence farmers are among the poorest in the population. Although poverty is
still predominant in the rural areas, a 1997 study showed that the proportion of poor female-headedhouseholds in the urban centres was higher than male-headed ones. Women are thus more severely
affected by the development process. Income distribution is also highly inequitable. And poverty
adversely affects the ability of the rural population to participate in the social and political processes.
Several indicators are presented to demonstrate the depth and breadth of poverty in Kenya today.
Although the government had established the goal of addressing poverty, disease and ignorance
since independence, it appears that the efforts till now have been inadequate as the spread ofpoverty has not been stemmed. The government is, therefore, now beginning a new campaign
which will incorporate wider consultation with, and broader participation of various stakeholders.
This new effort is expected to culminate in the development of a long-term poverty reducing strategy
that will guide the formulation of future policies and programmes for this purpose.
Past and Current Poverty Reduction Efforts
Real per capita income fell in the 1990s as the nation’s economic performance weakened. Rising
unemployment rapidly increased the level of poverty. Government addressed restoration of16

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17

macroeconomic growth while maintaining stability, using a medium–term macroeconomic
framework.
It is difficult to see how the proposed strategy for the next three years explicitly addresses poverty
reduction. It is indeed a strategy for economic growth, not unlike previous ones that continue to beamended and reformed to satisfy World Bank/IMF prescriptions. The proposed strategy aims toincrease real per capita GDP growth from 3% per year (up from 1.4% in 1999) to 6% by 2003, keep
inflation below 5%, increase foreign exchange reserve two-fold, etc. But the strategy also states thatsuccess in achieving these targets is predicated upon a number of other factors, including:• visible progress in governance;• establishment of an enabling environment for the private sector;• effective utilization of public resources for improving infrastructure and;• security; and• increasing priorities given to health and education.
The strategy hopes that a pick-up in agriculture (especially food production and coffee) and tourism
would spur economic growth. It further projects that major improvements in manufacturing, exportoriented agriculture, and the service sector would sustain the economic growth over the medium
term. But no details are discussed about how all these expectations would be fulfilled, nor about therole of the poor communities through their supply of labour. Surprisingly, even the critical need for ahealth policy reform in light of the HIV/AIDS epidemic was only mentioned in passing, with noattention to the debilitating long-term effect on the nation’s future manpower situation. Yet the
government report claims that the interim strategy for the health sector represents a milestone bylinking the objectives of the Kenya Health Policy Framework Paper (1994) and the National Health
Sector Strategic Plan (1999-2004) to the Medium Term Economic Framework budget allocation.
The paper describes at some length the respective current sector programmes and priorities. It also
describes measures that government is taking to improve the country’s physical infrastructure as thisis considered critical to economic growth, employment generation, and poverty reduction. For
example: with respect to roads, the government is improving unpaved feeder roads and giving
priority to the maintenance of a class of main trunk roads; in the energy sector, government is shifting
the pattern of energy consumption from wood fuel to modern types; noting that agriculture is thelifeline of 80% of Kenya’s rural poor, efforts are being made to achieve a sectoral growth rate of 4%
to 6% per annum by building effective extension and technology delivery services, establishing ruralfinance and credit supply system for small holders, and facilitating the participation of women.
The paper further suggests a rather long list of actions in almost every sector as “immediate priorities”
for the government to undertake. The following are some of the highlights:
a. Improving governance and public administration• strengthen operational capacities to combat corruption• increase effectiveness of accounting and audit procedures• implement code of ethics for public officials

ATPS SPECIAL PAPER SERIES N O. 18

18• introduce legislation to support the rights of women• review salaries and benefits of public servantsb. Raising income opportunities of the poor
• create agricultural advisory service to provide practical, cost-effective extension service tothe smallholder• establish private marketing system for agricultural produce• promote rural non-farm employment• construct wide-spread labour-intensive roads• eliminate shortfall in electricity supply
c. Improving quality of life
• promote food security• increase primary school enrolment• provide greater secondary school access to poor children• provide affordable essential health care to the poor
• increase supply of water to poor communities
d. Physical infrastructure
The Interim Strategy Paper
In its interim strategy paper the government states that a “fundamental prerequisite” for poverty
reduction is an economic growth rate that is much greater than the population growth rate. With thisphilosophy it outlined the basic objectives of its strategy as follows:• facilitate sustained and rapid economic growth• improve governance and security• increase ability of the poor to raise their incomes• improve the quality of life of the poor
• improve equity and participation
The strategy outlined in the I-PRSP will now become the national planning framework within which
sectoral priorities and programmes will be developed. It will also become the first phase of
implementation of the National Poverty Elimination Plan (NPEP)4.
The I-PRSP was said to have been developed following “broad consultation” with various stakeholders.
The nature and content of these consultations are not made available, but the climax of the process
was the organization by government of a National Stakeholders Consultative Forum to discuss thepaper. With more than 300 participants including women leaders, the Forum identified a set of

The NPEP was reportedly formulated through “extensive participation” of civil society, the private sector, NGOs, and government
agencies; but no details of the plan have been provided in the Kenya paper.
4

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19

cross-cutting issues: the need to build partnerships and enhance the participation of civil society indecision-making; mainstreaming gender equity; ensuring affirmative action for the vulnerable
population; the need to improve education and health; making security and good governance apriority; the need for better infrastructure; and recognizing HIV/AIDS as an issue that concerns thewhole population. Significantly, the Forum also acknowledged that the poor were not represented at
its deliberations and, therefore, recommended the need to decentralize the consultation process tothe district and community levels.
Preparation of the PRSPThe I-PRSP represents an initial articulation of the government’s response to the urgent need toreduce poverty levels in the country. It provides the objectives, targets, and timing of the individual
programmes and projects that would be necessary to implement the proposed strategy. Over the
coming months, the government would be undertaking the preparation of the full PRSP on the basisof a wide ranging consultative process. The implications for public expenditure will be incorporated
into the next and subsequent annual Medium Term Expenditure Framework cycles.
The institutional arrangements for carrying out this exercise have not been elaborated, but it isestimated to cost KSh 70 million (IUS$=KSh.75).
3.5

Kingdom of Lesotho

Since independence, poverty reduction has been at the core of government policies and strategies
and the country has prepared several economic programmes and development projects in its attempt
to foster economic growth. These mostly addressed the service sector with little attention to thedevelopment of economic infrastructure. The country also generally assumed that the programmes
and projects would ultimately impact on the poverty level, particularly in the rural areas where mostof the population resides. It is important to note that since the 1970s, the main source of householdincome in the rural areas was the labour remittances of Lesotho mine workers in South Africa. Since
1995, the government has formulated two comprehensive strategies for poverty reduction, namely:• Pathway Out of Poverty - An Action Plan for Lesotho• Poverty Reduction within the Context of Good Governance.
These declared strategies were supplemented by more specific sectoral policies and projects
defined in the various national development plans. But it is still not clear that these strategies havemade any contribution to the alleviation of poverty in Lesotho.
During the 1990s, the country reportedly experienced a period of economic boom that resulted fromthe expansion of the manufacturing sector and the construction taking place under the Lesotho
Highlands Water Project. Between 1988 when the government entered into the Structural Adjustment
Programme of the World Bank/IMF and 1997, the GDP reportedly grew at an average rate of 6.3%
per annum. But since 1998 the economic performance of the country has dropped considerably. It

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ATPS SPECIAL PAPER SERIES N O. 18

is estimated that the net private investment dropped by about 50% in that year. Government finances
also weakened further in 1999, registering a 13.4% deficit for the 1999/2000 financial year.
The Government of Lesotho has responded to this situation with a series of macro-economic policies
to bring economic growth rate back to about 3% per annum and keep inflation down to 6% a year.
Nonetheless, the government believes that the country’s medium term economic outlook will bedominated by external circumstances, particularly by the structural changes that may occur under
the SADC Free Trade Area Protocol.
Poverty in Lesotho
Lesotho is one of the poorest and lowest-income countries of the world. Poverty in the country ismeasured not only in terms of income but also by the extent to which individuals are deprived ofaccess to food, shelter, health services, education, and other basic human needs. A major feature of
the country’s poverty situation is the high inequality with which income is distributed. However, inLesotho, the statistical base for analyzing the poverty situation is said to be underdeveloped. Therefore,
an additional requirement of the PRSP process would be to develop the necessary instruments forthe systematic monitoring of the poverty situation.
Defining the poor as those with monthly incomes below M 80, it is estimated that 68% of the populationis poor. This is a large increase from the 49% level in 1990. It is further estimated that 49% of theentire population is actually destitute, making a monthly income of less than M 40. Poverty is highly
concentrated in the predominantly rural and remote mountainous and river areas where more than
80% are characterized as poor or destitute.
Past and Current Poverty Reduction Efforts
Several national development programmes have been implemented by the Government of Lesotho
over the years, but these did not explicitly target poverty reduction as a primary goal. The highlights
include the following:
1. Rural Road Construction
This project has reportedly reduced rural-urban migration which would have overburdenedsocial services. Due to the seasonal nature of unemployment in subsistence agriculture, it
was possible to use the available labour force for road construction.
2. Education
The first elaborate plan to develop education was formulated in 1991 within the frameworkof the Fifth National Development Plan. Focusing on primary education, it provided forbetter classrooms and facilities, supply of trained teachers, and expansion of the educational
infrastructure. Yet enrolment levels in primary schools did not improve. The government is
now committed to the provision of basic education for all by the year 2006, under a new
Free Primary Education Policy.
3. HealthA Health Sector Plan was developed in 1994 to address emerging health and social welfare
problems like HIV/AIDS, impact of increasing urbanization, and unemployment. With poor

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21

results from this, a new Health Sector Reform Strategy was formulated in 1999 to increase
access to quality preventive, curative and rehabilitative health care services. This wasmade possible by the long-standing cooperation between the government and the Christian
Health Association of Lesotho (which owns 49% of the country’s health facilities, and receives
some subvention from the government to be able to provide subsidized services to thepoor). More recently the government prepared a National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan whichaims at controlling the spread of the disease and mitigating its impact.
4. Private Sector Development
Since 1995, the government has encouraged small and medium scale industrial projects
with provision of skills-upgrading programmes, NGO credit centres, etc. that are geared toreducing poverty by improving employment opportunities. Foreign investment in the clothing
and footwear industries alone created some 8,000 jobs between1991 and 1998. In themeantime, about 50 state-owned enterprises and parastatals have been identified for
privatization but the process is proceeding very slowly and the outcome doubtful.
5. Agriculture
Since 1980, the agricultural sector has formulated and implemented more programme
initiatives than any other in a constant battle to achieve food sufficiency. The primary goal
has always been to reduce the country’s dependence on South Africa for the supply ofstaple food items, particularly maize, sorghum and wheat. The goal, however, has beenrather difficult to achieve. A major effort made in 1995 towards the establishment of an
Agricultural Sector Development Programme defined the following six programmes whichcurrently form the focus of government planning for the sector:• Agriculture Policy and Strategy Formulation• Privatisation and Market Liberalisation• Land Reform and Natural Resource Management• Agriculture Diversification• Agricultural Support Services Provision• Capacity Building
Other efforts included programmes to address tourism, culture and sport, the environment, andgender dimensions of poverty. It is noteworthy that policies and procedures have been revised toensure that socio-economic activities that were male-dominated before are now accessible towomen. In summary, it does not appear that all the said programmes and projects have succeededin reducing poverty.
Interim Strategy Paper
The Government of Lesotho adopted poverty reduction as its highest development priority during the
preparation of its Sixth National Development Plan in 1996. The objectives have remained unchanged
for the Seventh National Development Plan which is currently being implemented. In launching its
budget for the 2000/2001 fiscal year, the government also outlined a strategy for consolidating
democracy while helping the poor. This, in effect, is the government’s declaration of commitment topoverty reduction.

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ATPS SPECIAL PAPER SERIES N O. 18

Lesotho’s declared objective of the PRSP is to promote comprehensive poverty reduction strategies
that are country-driven, results-oriented, partnership-based, and situated within a medium term
macro-economic framework. First, the government established a Technical Working Group in
February 2000 to prepare the interim PRSP. The group comprises government representatives, theprivate sector, non-governmental organizations, National University of Lesotho, and the UNDP. Whenthe I-PRSP is accepted by “all stakeholders” it will be forwarded to the World Bank and the IMF.
Preparation of the PRSPThe government envisaged that preparation of the full PRSP would be completed by June 2002
under the following three-phase work plan:
1. Preparation Stage
a. Evaluation of the I-PRSP process
b. Data collection and analysisc. Assessment of poverty programmes
d. Preparation of working documents
2. Consultative Stagea. Meeting with the rural poor
b. Meeting with civil society organizations
c. Meeting with Parliament and local authorities
d. Meting with the business community and other interested groups
3. Finalization Stage
a. Editorial committee set up (June 2001)
b. Production of first draft report (October 2001)
c. Submission of full PRSP to the Cabinet (May 2002)
d. Submission of full PRSP to World Bank/IMF (June 2002)
Institutional Arrangements
The government is committed to preparing the strategy paper through a process of consensusbuilding within the public sector, and in full consultation with the rural poor, civil society organizations,lawmakers, and the business community. The process will be overseen by a high level Poverty
Council, a Technical Working Group, and a Poverty Forum. The Poverty Council will be the apex
organ to manage the process. It will be chaired by the Minister of Finance and Development Planning,
and its membership would include the Governor of the Central Bank of Lesotho. It will provide policy
guidance, drive the consultations within the public sector, and ensure that the Technical Working
Group gains adequate access to all necessary material and human resources. The Council will
also promote public and private sector partnerships.
The Technical Working Group, reporting to the Council, will identify the key players and implement
the consultative mechanism at all levels. The Working Group will link with the civil society and otherstakeholders at the district and grass-roots levels through a Civil Society Poverty Reduction Forum tobe established by the non-governmental organizations. This forum is a mechanism for maximizing
stakeholder participation in, and ownership of, the PRSP process. The consultations carried out at

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23

district and community levels would culminate in the national forum, and in the elaboration of abroad vision of poverty problems and of policies and strategies to combat them. The final result
would be the PRSP.
The resource requirements for carrying out the PRSP exercise was estimated at M1, 375,000.
3.6

Republic of Malawi

The government of Malawi articulated its commitment to poverty reduction in its Poverty Alleviation
Programme of 1994 and has since been implementing an economic structural reform programme.
The government sees the World Bank/IMF request for this strategy paper as an opportunity to takestock of its economic programmes and evaluate their impact so far. This could lead to a re-focusingof government priorities and development options.
Malawi’s approach to the preparation of the PRSP is to forge a focused policy document that aims
to promote rapid economic growth and ensure equitable distribution of the benefits of this growth.
Even though poverty alleviation was said to have been the over-arching theme of the government’s
prior programmes, the apparent trend of escalating poverty levels now compels the government toreview and improve its macro-economic framework and sectoral strategies. The review shouldreflect a detailed analysis of the macro-economic and sectoral policies and the most recent data on
poverty. It should also set targets and priorities and make recommendations for public expenditure.
Poverty in Malawi
The Qualitative Impact Monitoring Study and consultations with the poor carried out by the government
have helped to give a clearer picture of poverty in the country. Available information indicates that
more than 60% of Malawi’s population lives below the poverty line. The population density is highand income distribution is highly inequitable. Also, 24% of households are headed by women.
Prevalence of HIV/AIDS is high and life expectancy has fallen drastically, from 48 years in 1990 to 43
years in 1997. The major factors contributing to poverty in the country are low agricultural productivity,
rapid population growth, absence of of-farm employment opportunities, low educational levels, poor
health service system, and poor access to credit and productive assets.
The government’s current approach to poverty reduction is predicated on the following three elements:• emphasis on smallholder agriculture in order to raise the productivity and income of therural poor
• promotion of private sector growth to expand off-farm employment• expansion of social services
Although the government has implemented a number of programmes and policies to combat poverty,
a series of institutional and structural obstacles have limited the impact of these initiatives. The
obstacles include inadequate human capacity at all levels, poor incentives for the civil service,difficulty of targeting programmes to the poorest households, and poor linkages among reform
programmes.

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ATPS SPECIAL PAPER SERIES N O. 18

Past and Current Poverty Reduction Efforts
In 1999, the government developed and evaluated three possible options for growth and poverty
reduction. The first is an agricultural approach that focuses on sectoral interventions and strategies
that directly target the poor. These include improving land utilization, increasing agricultural
productivity, and developing safety nets for the poorest people. The second option aimed to stabilize
the macroeconomic environment and increase investment to promote economic growth. This would
focus on strengthening the financial sector, promoting industrialization and exports, andcommercializing agriculture. The third option focused on social development, especially throughthe provision of infrastructure, investment in human capital, and raising productivity and living
standards. This would include promotion of good governance, provision of basic social services andsupport for environmental and natural resource development.
The government’s analysis of the three potential growth options revealed that none of them by itself
was sufficient to achieve the goals of national development, and all three of them would have to be
applied simultaneously. This called for resource prioritization with respect to the recommendationsof Vision 2020. The major constraints to economic growth were also identified as the HIV/AIDS
epidemic which is undermining the performance of all sectors, high population growth rate, and theunattractiveness of the country’s investment environment due to high internal and externaltransportation costs, unreliable power supply, and deteriorating public security.
The Interim Strategy Paper
Malawi is embarking on a preparatory process that would include the following:• an updated analysis with a gender perspective• an examination of public expenditure and its poverty impact• a commitment to poverty reduction• an agreement on a sound economic framework• detailed consultation on specific poverty reduction strategies and outcomes
The process will also draw upon work already carried out or in progress to collect data or articulate
development strategies, particularly those that have led to the conclusions and goals specified in
the country’s Vision 2020 document. These include:• Reaching the Vision: An Analysis of Growth Options• Policy Analysis Initiative• National Strategic Framework for HIV/AIDS• Draft Policy Framework Paper• Public Expenditure Review• The Medium-Term Expenditure Framework
A number of other detailed analyses, particularly at the sector level, would also be pertinent to thework that is being planned in order to make the final outcome a full reflection of recent government
thinking on development in the country.

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25

Preparation of the PRSPThe government has approved a road map for the preparation of the strategy paper. The map lays
out the structure of the paper and the issues to be addressed. The broad vision statement would
draw on the consultative meetings, the Vision 2020 document, and other previous economic analysis
papers that were prepared for other purposes. It would define the degree to which poverty should be
reduced by 2020 and propose a multi-sectoral strategy for assisting the poor. Specific sectoral
strategies would be developed on the basis of sectoral analysis of poverty.
Institutional Framework
The institutional framework that is proposed for implementing the process is firmly rooted ingovernment ministries which would supervise the contribution of decentralized local authorities andimplementing agencies. This is expected to ensure national ownership of the programming exercise.
The framework would be headed by a ministerial-level national Steering Committee, assisted by acommittee of Principal Secretaries. The latter would, in turn, oversee the work of a TechnicalCommittee that would be responsible for carrying out the nation-wide consultations, conducting theanalytical work, and drawing up recommendations and strategic options.
The process is planned to be iterative between government and other stakeholders on the one hand,and between the Technical Committee and the thematic working groups on the other. Preparationof the strategy paper is expected to include a broad range of stakeholders who would participate
through: membership or representation in the thematic working groups; in workshops and roundtables;or through written submissions or other contributions on specific issues.
3.7

Republic of Tanzania

The Government of Tanzania views the PRSP as its response to the requirement for reaching anagreement with the World Bank and the IMF to be able to qualify for benefits under the Initiative for
Heavily Indebted Countries, as well as World Bank lending. At the same time it hopes the strategy
would be sufficient to attack the country’s pervasive poverty by raising growth levels and increasing
the participation of the poor in the development process. It is estimated that half of Tanzania’s
population of 34 million live below the poverty line.
Poverty in Tanzania
The government has rightly concluded that poverty in Tanzania is so pervasive that it cannot be
eradicated in the short to medium term, but rather, will require a long term strategy that aims toachieve a higher growth rate, improve economic opportunities for the poor, and build human capital.
For this purpose, the government decided on a number of policy actions:• Prepare a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper by August 2000
• Conduct 50% of district-based school mapping by December 2000, aimed at increasing
the net enrolment rate and the quality of primary education.

26

ATPS SPECIAL PAPER SERIES N O. 18• Adopt specific short-term actions to improve health care, particularly to carry out immunizationof children against measles, diphtheria, polio and tetanus, and to increase awareness ofprogrammes to combat the HIV/AIDS disease.
• Implement a Household Budget Survey as well as a pilot labour force survey for updating
preliminary estimates of poverty and monitoring the performance of current poverty reduction
measures.
To sustain the gains in macro-economic stability of the past few years, the government is said to beplanning additional actions to sustain improvement in economic governance and in private sector
development.
Past and Current Poverty Reduction Efforts
The Government of Tanzania had reportedly set poverty reduction as its main goal since independence
in 1961. As late as 1997, the government adopted the National Poverty Eradication Strategy whicharticulated a vision of a Tanzanian society without poverty. In 1999, the government published “Poverty
and Welfare Monitoring Indicators”, a document that serves as a basis for monitoring theimplementation of poverty eradication programmes and evaluating their impact. The government isreportedly now developing the Tanzania Assistance Programme as a strategy to guide the applicationof external assistance to the country, with the objective of improving ownership, partnership, and theeffectiveness of aid.
The Interim Strategy Paper
The I-PRSP prepared by the Government of Tanzania describes in general terms the various plansof government ministries and agencies, with respect to the conduct of their individual sectoral
functions. The paper outlines the policy objectives of the sectors along with intended measures andactions to be taken towards those objectives. The policy matrix for the period 2000 to 2002 is a
consolidated list of projects under each proposed objective of the agencies in each sector.
Preparation of the PRSPThe government indicated that the strategy paper would not substitute for existing sectoral
programmes but would strengthen the prioritization of activities within and across all sectors that are
addressing poverty. Its preparation would seek contributions from all stakeholders. The process
would also try to mainstream poverty and welfare-monitoring into the budgetary systems such as the
Medium-Term Expenditure Framework. It is, therefore, intended that the PRSP will:• assemble baseline data on poverty in order to develop a national poverty line;• set medium-term poverty reduction targets, with monitorable indicators, that can be achieved
within ten years;• set targets for each of the priority sectors, especially health, primary education andagriculture; and• shift budgetary resources as necessary in order to meet specified poverty reduction targets.

WHAT IS A POVERTY R EDUCTION STRATEGY WITHOUT SCIENCE & T ECHNOLOGY?

27

It is expected that the preparation of the PRSP will gather broad-based support by drawing on theexperience of previous participatory arrangements that had been implemented along withstakeholders.
Institutional Arrangements
The institutional arrangements for preparing the strategy paper will be headed by a high levelcommittee established in October 1999, consisting of ministers and the Governor of the Bank of
Tanzania. This committee will be assisted by an inter-ministerial Technical Committee that will be
responsible for conducting the activities of the PRSP process, and for integrating its work into theestablished macro-economic framework. The Technical Committee will also coordinate theconsultations with the donor community and other stakeholders.
The Technical Committee’s draft work plan was approved by government in February 2000. The
work outlines project that preparation of the PRSP should be completed by June 2000, submitted tothe cabinet in July, and to the World Bank/IMF in August 2000.
3.8

Republic of Uganda

The over-arching national planning document for Uganda is the Poverty Eradication Action Plan
(PEAP), through which the government has identified poverty eradication as its fundamental goal.
The PEAP is appropriately located within the context of Vision 2025, although it is not a blueprint for
sector activities. However, it is conceptually connected to all other major government programmes(sector plans and district plans) as well as donor programmes, especially the NGO programmes
and private sector initiatives. The main sector plans include the 3-year Medium Term Expenditure
Framework and the Annual Budget, with corresponding counterparts at the district level. The
government is carefully nurturing a bottom-up participation of districts in the planning and monitoringprocesses, including participation in poverty assessments and in providing essential feedback onprogress towards poverty eradication goals.
Poverty in Uganda
In 1997, about 44% of the Ugandan population was classified as poor. Income levels are generally
low across the country, often leading to poor health and limited education. Apart from the persistent
low rates of economic growth, the effects of civil disorder of the recent past are also important
historical factors exacerbating the poverty situation. At the household level, poverty correlates withrural dwelling, land shortage, educational level, market access limitation, and household headshipby widows and old people. Yet the country is able to report encouraging data which show clear
evidence that the poverty situation is improving. For example:• the vulnerable population in consumption poverty fell from 56% in 1992 to 44% in 1997
• National Accounts data confirm that household consumption rose annually, and by 17%
between 1992 and 1997
• expenditure of the bottom 10% of the population rose by 29% and the next 10% of population
by 23% over the same five-year period

ATPS SPECIAL PAPER SERIES N O. 18

28·

increase in coffee prices made a significant contribution to poverty reduction among
farmers

Past and Current Poverty Reduction Efforts
A number of initiatives have been taken in recent years to strengthen the planning process in Uganda.
These include major consultative exercises to deliberate on the country’s long term goals andobjectives. One such exercise is the Vision 2025 which describes the national aspirations as
expressed through a widely consultative process. Another is the 1997 Poverty Eradication Action
Plan which is now being used as a national planning framework to guide medium-term sector plans,
district level planning, and the national budget allocation process. It is claimed that efforts to use a
Medium Term Expenditure Framework to formulate detailed sector-wide plans as well as investment
programmes are achieving varying levels of success as they near completion.
The Interim Strategy Paper
The I-PRSP submitted by the government is a synthesis of the PEAP which has guided thegovernment’s policy formulation since 1997. The PEAP will now be revised to constitute the required
PRSP. In doing so, the government aims to transform the country into a modern economy. Its
philosophical approach is reportedly based on a number of conditions:• Structural transformation of the economy, to include modernization of agriculture,development of new industries, and strengthening of the legal and financial institutions• Participation of the poor in national economic growth by expansion of smallholder agriculture
and increased employment in industry and services• Sustainable economic growth that is broadly based and of high quality• Attention to non-material aspects of poverty, especially insecurity, illness, isolation, anddisempowerment
Preparation of the PRSPThe government of Uganda is approaching its consideration of poverty reduction on the basis ofcertain principles. These can be summarized as follows:• Role of the public sector:- to intervene in areas where markets function rather poorly or would produce
inequitable outcomes.
- when it intervenes, to apply the most cost-effective methods, including the use ofNGOs for service delivery where appropriate.
• Partnership with Stakeholders:- to integrate the poverty eradication efforts of government with those of otherstakeholders, especially its development partners.
• Government policies:- all policies should reflect the importance of regional distribution as well as gender
equity, rights of children, and environmental impact.
• Public action:

WHAT IS A POVERTY R EDUCTION STRATEGY WITHOUT SCIENCE & T ECHNOLOGY?

29- each aspect of public action is to be guided by the formulation of desired outcomes,
as well as the design of the inputs and outputs to promote them.
On the basis of these principles, the government established its poverty eradication strategy on fourpillars.
These are:a. Creating a framework for economic growth and transformation:
A crucial component of the PEAP is accelerating economic growth which, along with employmentgeneration, are necessary conditions for poverty eradication. Local research has projected thegrowth of incomes and investment over the next 20 years, using a model with only three components- an investment function, a balance-of-payments constraint, and a production function. The research
further showed that a GDP growth rate of about 7% per annum is feasible, but calls for the essential
elements of macroeconomic stability, macroeconomic incentives, equitable and efficient collection
and use of public resources, and private sector competitiveness.
b. Good governance and security:
Consultations with the poor revealed that insecurity was one of their most pressing concerns,
especially as armed conflict had been a decisive factor in the impoverishment of some parts of thecountry. The internally displaced population reportedly topped 622,000 in 1999. Conflict resolution,
therefore, becomes a necessary component of efforts to eradicate poverty.
c. Actions which directly increase the ability of the poor to raise their incomes:- as most Ugandans are self employed, mainly in agriculture, modernization of the sector
becomes crucial for poverty eradication.
- employment outside agriculture can be promoted through microfinance, advisory services,and vocational training.
- labour-intensive methods of road building would generate more employment.
- restocking economically-viable assets like livestock could reduce poverty.
- promoting the use of more efficient cooking technologies and providing subsidies for rural
electrification would also assist the poor and encourage private investment in power
infrastructure.
d. Actions which directly improve the quality of life of the poor:
Introduction of free primary education for up to four children per family has reportedly led to large
increases in enrolment. The government now faces the challenge of providing low-cost classrooms
and ensuring quality education. Healthcare is being addressed through a new health strategic plan
which aims to improve service delivery by better training of practitioners, better salaries, and better
infrastructure. Population growth and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS are receiving attention as crosscutting issues.

ATPS SPECIAL PAPER SERIES N O. 1830
3.9

Republic of Zambia

Despite recent efforts to introduce strong macro-economic initiatives, Zambia has not achieved thenecessary sustained economic growth for reducing poverty. The current medium–term economic
goal of the government for the period 1999 to 2001 is to achieve a growth rate of 5% or more andreduce inflation to under 10%.
Poverty in Zambia
Evaluation of poverty levels in Zambia was conducted with a Priority Survey in 1991 under the Social
Dimension of Adjustment Programme. The result categorized an estimated 70% of the Zambian
population of eight million as poor. While only 49% of urban dwellers were considered poor, as muchas 88% of the rural population fell below the poverty line. These consisted mainly of small-scale
farmers of which 90% were poor. Poverty among female-headed households was more prevalentand more severe than in male-headed households.
Past attention to poverty has included successive surveys conducted to monitor poverty. These, inparticular, were the Priority Survey of 1993, the Living Conditions Monitoring Survey of 1996 and thatof 1998. The latter showed that poverty levels in the country were rising: estimates for 1998 put thepoverty level at 73% of the population.
Although the country seems to be in possession of good data that have been generated on poverty
and its associated indicators, it does not have the specialized expertise that is required to determine
whether the data are actually adequate. Current data show that the factors that have contributed toboth rural and urban poverty are many and diverse. Because agriculture plays a dominant role in the
lives of rural dwellers, its stagnation leads to lack of food, money and other assets, and therefore toincreased poverty. In the urban areas, lack of employment opportunities, poor living conditions, andlack of access to water and sanitation are all major factors that have made poverty intractable. Petty
trading is the predominant occupation of the urban informal sector, and women are the majority of its
practitioners. More children now tend to be kept out of school to help boost family income.
Nonetheless, primary education is said to have witnessed rapid expansion in its physical infrastructure.
Past and Current Poverty Reduction Efforts
Measures to fight poverty in Zambia reportedly began right after independence. These were mainly
aimed at promoting rural development. The measures included credit schemes, re-settlement
schemes, integrated rural development, and rural reconstruction schemes. Despite all these as wellas the substantial resources poured into them, there has been little improvement in the lives of therural population.
With the assistance of the World Bank and the IMF, Zambia has also been implementing a numberof economic reform programmes since 1991 in pursuit of macroeconomic stability. The government
has taken steps to remove key structural obstacles to its economic performance, and has particularly
pursued privatization of the copper industry. In addition, several related project activities have been
undertaken by both government and NGOs to alleviate poverty. These include public welfare

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31

assistance schemes, micro-financing programmes, and food-for-work programmes. However, themajority of these programmes were not sustainable as their short-term nature made it difficult toincorporate them into the overall economic framework.
The government did supplement these short-term programmes with longer-term perspectives inorder to economically empower communities. Among such initiatives are the Agricultural Sector
Investment Programme which aimed to provide an infrastructure for small scale farmers, theEnvironmental Support Programme, the Basic Education Sub-Sector Investment Programme, andthe Social Action Programme.
In 1998, the government consulted widely with key stakeholders in the public sector, civil society andthe donor community, and then prepared a National Poverty Reduction Strategic Framework which
listed its goals as:• achieving broad based economic growth through agriculture and rural development• providing public physical infrastructure• increasing the productivity of urban micro enterprises and the informal sector• developing human resources• coordinating, monitoring and evaluating poverty reduction programmes and activities
These broad objectives were then translated into programmes under a newly formulated National
Poverty Reduction Action Plan that focused on six priority areas:• efficient management of the economy• sustainable economic growth• human resource development• targeted interventions• crosscutting priorities• urban development
The Plan consisted of 33 sector wide programmes to be implemented in three phases, with a total
financial requirement of $4.9 billion. It is reported that Zambia has received commitment of 43% of
this amount. The government is projected to be able to provide 3% of the required finances.
The Interim Strategy Paper
Zambia has prepared an interim I-PRSP which describes the country’s past efforts to fight poverty
and also details its arrangements for future action that would be taken through a full PRSP that is
now under preparation. This interim document is to enable the country present her case for substantial
debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country facility at the earliest possible opportunity.
Government admits that the process for preparing the I-PRSP should have involved as many
stakeholders as possible. However, the urgent need to quickly submit the paper as an input in the
country’s request for debt relief made it necessary to limit consultations for the I-PRSP to selected
government institutions. At a later date, the preparation of a full PRSP would be embarked upon to32

ATPS SPECIAL PAPER SERIES N O. 18

map out the country’s development goals and identify the strategies to be employed in meeting thosegoals.
The government would present the full PRSP to the World Bank and IMF in June 2001, in fulfillmentof the requirement for accessing concessionary lending. But anticipating that preparation of the
PRSP could take several months, the government would use this I-PRSP as a transitional instrument
to allow the country’s economic programme and the associated World Bank and IMF assistance tocontinue running smoothly.
Preparation of the PRSPThe Zambian government is reportedly in the early stages of preparing the PRSP but has
declared its commitment to making the process widely consultative. The National Poverty
Reduction Action Plan which itself was prepared with wide stakeholders’ participation would
serve as the basis and reference point for preparing the PRSP. In addition, the current macroeconomic framework (1999-2002) along with a variety of approved structural and sector policies
would be used as reference material. The work promises to be process-intensive.
Institutional Arrangements
The institutional arrangements for conducting the exercise has been established. A PRSP
Steering Committee, made up of ministers, would head the management structure, providing
policy guidance and ensuring the highest political will for the process.
A technical committee comprising permanent secretaries, and reporting to the steering committee,
would coordinate the preparation of the paper and the consultative process to involve various
stakeholders. This committee would also provide for the formation of sub-committees and thematic
working groups which would have representational membership from civil society groups, academics
and the donor community. Focal point individuals would be appointed from relevant government
ministries to facilitate the work of the technical committee, especially in procuring necessary
information and data, promoting awareness at the local or institutional level, and assisting the
preparation of the paper.

4.

An Assessment of sub-Saharan PRSPs

Many countries of sub-Saharan Africa have been engaged in the formulation of their National
Development Plans as well as some form of poverty reduction strategies since gaining their respective
independence from colonial rule. The current effort to prepare another special poverty-focusedstrategy underscores the new urgency that the international community is placing on this intractableand persistent poverty situation in the continent.
The I-PRSPs of nine countries have been reviewed to get a sense of how sub-Saharan Africa is
responding to this new approach. The interim papers are supposed to establish the framework forundertaking a full-fledged process of formulating a purposeful national strategy to be pursued for thelong term. This assessment will address issues of content as garnered from the strategy papers, aswell as issues relating to the PRSP process itself.
A prime advantage of the PRSP is that it is raising the priority of poverty reduction in many Africancountries, and has the potential in such countries of influencing policy-making by stressing its propoor outcomes. If it succeeds in sharpening the national focus on the poor and establishes
benchmarks, targets, timeframes and monitorable outcomes, then it would have achieved its promiseand could lead to significant improvements in the poverty situation of countries.
World Bank/IMF Guidelines
The World Bank/IMF guidelines and requirements put a lot of pressure on African governments to
produce an acceptable document full of the right mix of textbook policies, even if these governments
lack the internal capacity to implement the programmes they advocate. Little attention has been
given in the I-PRSPs to developing the required capacity.
The objective of the World Bank/IMF to use this approach to link the use of debt relief under the
Enhanced Indebted Poor Country to poverty reduction raises an unintended contradiction: on one
hand the PRSP is to be a country-owned programming framework; and on the other hand, it is toserve as a basis for the World Bank/IMF scrutinization and approval of lending. This promises to bea tough examination for the countries. In fact, the requirement shifts emphasis to passing theexamination, hence the I-PRSPs tended to be unrealistic in their proposed programmes covering all
sectors, and their descriptions of past performance read like political propaganda.
There is also apparent haste on the part of the countries to prepare the interim strategy paper,probably because they are linked to decisions on debt relief. The stakeholder consultations already33

ATPS SPECIAL PAPER SERIES N O. 18

34

carried out do not appear deep or thorough enough, and would call the intended country-ownershipof the process into question.
National Approach
A review of the current I-PRSPs of the nine countries shows that there is a critical need to establish
a more systematic approach to poverty reduction. First, it is important for countries preparing PRSPs
to fully grasp the thrust of this new initiative and to appreciate the political consideration that the
Bretton Woods institutions would be using these papers as additional items for the certification of acountry’s progress towards prescribed economic reform. For this purpose the affected countries
need to seek clarification from the Bank and the IMF about how the process would play out, what
alternative arrangements would be permissible, and how poverty reduction strategies can be madecentral to the pursuit of economic growth as demanded earlier by these institutions. The ninecountry I-PRSPs reviewed in this exercise have given little indication that they sought or received
necessary clarification on these issues.
First, most of the papers have described in great detail all the government economic programmes
undertaken over the past five to ten years as part of their national development planning process.
Second, none of them reported in any detail on the economic activities of their private sectors, eventhough these may actually be more relevant to employment creation and poverty reduction. Third,
the papers have generally included a “policy matrix” which often turns out to be a summary listing of
all policy statements as declared by each sectoral authority, even though many such statements
carry little chance of eventual implementation.
In a sense, such a review of the past attempts and initiatives for economic development is useful for
putting together a credible knowledge base and analysis of past results and experiences. But a more
important question is whether the preparation of a PRSP requires such a task. The dubious claimsof success and the rosy pictures often painted by these government reports perhaps reflect theinadequacy of the assessment process, or otherwise a lack of serious commitment to mitigating thelong-term effects of poverty. It could also be the result of a systemic problem of the weak capacity ofthe public service to undertake rigorous analysis and planning.
Some Common Threads• Governments still tend to see the work of national development as their own exclusivefunction, with gracious invitation to selected non-governmental participants. Hence theirown assessments of past policies and programmes were sometimes defensive, but also
sometimes framed in positive and flattering language that is not always corroborated by dataor physical evidence.
•

Each country claims to have undertaken some form or other of stakeholder consultations
on a variety of issues, some of which could be cross-cutting. But there is generally noreference to the nature or content of what was discussed or agreed upon. It is not clear if
these consultations are leading to a better public understanding of poverty and its
consequences.

WHAT IS A POVERTY R EDUCTION STRATEGY WITHOUT SCIENCE & T ECHNOLOGY?

35•

It is significant that all the countries reported that women bear a greater burden of poverty
than men. Data on income distribution by gender shows a highly inequitable profile for bothurban and rural populations. (For example, in The Gambia women receive less than onethird of their male counterparts’ earnings. Even in the agricultural sector where 84% of rural
women are subsistence farmers with less access to mechanization, they continue to holdlower status than men, and have unequal access to education, control over assets anddecision-making)•

The laudable policy proposals and measures that are being advocated by many countries
were not supported by complementary budgets. Information was also not supplied about
how past budgets have been used to build towards a sustainable future. It is therefore
difficult to contemplate neither how these new initiatives would be funded nor the expectedsources of such funding. Two countries provided cost estimates for the preparation of the
PRSP: Kenya estimates KSh 70million (about $700,000) and Lesotho estimates M1, 375,000(about $172,000).

Past and Current Efforts
The overall poverty reduction strategies of the countries were not clear from the descriptions of theirpast and current efforts. The various policies were not explicitly targeted at poverty but rather at
economic growth and stabilization. Some of the countries have respectively proposed a policy
matrix that covers all sectors of the economy; these are only a little more than a shopping list
approach. They present no proper identification of linkages in programme activities and no strategicplan of action .
Upon close examination of the various multilateral programmes and initiatives foisted on Africancountries, there appear to be too many co-existing instruments that are not systematically linked
and, therefore, create an unnecessary additional burden on the weak capacity of these low-income
countries. Even as the governments keep trying to attend to them all, it is clear that the demands takeaway policy coherence.
Achievements
Most of the papers could not demonstrate that past measures have led to any significant reduction inpoverty. Only Uganda was able to claim real success, reducing its poverty level from 56% in 1992 to
44% by 1997, with household expenditure of the lowest 10% of the population rising by 29% during
the same period. Lesotho, on the other hand, acknowledged that its programmes and projects did
not succeed in reducing poverty because they “lacked necessary focus” and were embedded in a
top-down approach at the planning, formulation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation stages.
Planning Capacity
Zambia claims to have good data on poverty but not the specialized expertise to determine if the data
are adequate. The lack of sufficient local capacity to conduct full and comprehensive surveys and toprocess the information appropriately seems to be a general weakness across the countries. This is

36

ATPS SPECIAL PAPER SERIES N O. 18

manifested in unrealistic planning or inadequate appreciation of the demands of such an exercise.
(For example, the Technical Committee in Tanzania planned to complete the full PRSP process
within four months.)
Role of Other Development Partners
Even though the World Bank and IMF say that other international assistance agencies are committed
to the PRSP process and are eager to work with the governments in preparing the strategies, there
is no indication from the country papers on how these are responding to the preparation efforts.
There is need for a clear allocation of responsibility accompanied by expectations to define the roleof other partners, especially the multilateral and bilateral donors, and the foundations.

5.

Science and Technology in Poverty Reduction

Technology is used to empower people, allowing them to expand the choices in their daily lives. The
absence of a science and technology culture at the community level retards the ability of the poor torecognize ordinary scientific applications to their daily chores, and therefore limits the prospect for
innovation and prosperity. It is the absence of this culture that shuts the gate to a community’s ability
to summon for its own use and welfare, those simple and common technologies that are not only
available but also affordable. Developing countries elsewhere are using such technologies toestablish cottage industries and provide jobs.
The efficacy of any poverty reduction mechanism depends largely upon its ability to maximize theapplication of knowledge and skills towards its purpose. This essentially means its ability to embracetechnology and harness the opportunities that it presents effectively. This understanding has been
largely missing in the present strategy documents that African countries have so far prepared as they
enter a process of formulating new strategies for combating poverty among their peoples.
In a direct response to the poverty situation in sub-Saharan Africa, it is necessary to integrate scienceand technology policies and plans into all levels of the national planning framework. In particular,
specific provision needs to be made for technologies that take advantage of cheap labour which isabundantly available, and which is a characteristic of poverty itself. Such technologies carry several
advantages. For one, they create employment; and secondly, they improve local skills and bringincremental modernization to the society.
The Role of Policy Studies
A number of science and technology policy studies have been carried out in sub-Saharan Africancountries by local and external scholars. What is not certain is the extent to which the study findings
and recommendations have been taken seriously, or taken at all. Many of these studies have addressed
the nature, extent, and characteristics of poverty. They have also addressed the inherent weaknesses
and poor performance of the various development programmes that have been implemented, andhave made recommendations on how to increase their impact or multiply their benefits. But there
has been no systematic approach to the formulation or execution of such research studies and theirfindings in a manner that could compel the attention of policymakers, or sustain the interest andfunding of key stakeholders in this endeavor.

37

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ATPS SPECIAL PAPER SERIES N O. 18

Perhaps a new effort is needed to make science and technology relevant to poverty reduction ineach country, by preparing a compendium of past policy studies with respect to their sectoral
objectives, findings, and subsequent policy action, if any. Such an exercise would help to identify
current gaps in knowledge and action; it would also suggest a direction for new initiatives.
Policy studies become a vital source of knowledge and information in the planning of new strategies
that can achieve meaningful results and visible improvements in a country’s poverty situation. The
study findings must be widely disseminated among stakeholders and should form an important partof the agenda for the proposed consultative process. The study recommendations should becomea basis for consensus building in terms of a future strategy and possible action in the various sectors.
As the ATPS chapters in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe have demonstrated, acompendium of policy studies could become the lightning rod for convening national sectoral
working groups that would consist of scholars, practitioners, and policymakers, with a common goalof raising the visibility of science and technology and bringing the benefits of science to society. Thistime, the goal would become one of arriving at some consensus on programmes and priorities thatcan be recommended as part of the national strategy on poverty reduction.
Technology: A Priority for Human Capital Development
The importance of technological change and adoption has increased tremendously due to therapid pace of globalization and the unrelenting nature of the information revolution. The development
and transfer of new technologies and the creation of the enabling environment that can facilitate
their adoption require clear policies and plans, a strong political will, and human capital development.
Essentially, all countries in sub-Saharan Africa have already adopted, or are reforming, certain policies
designed to accelerate their social and economic development. For many of them, development
planning results in the establishment of aggregate targets, sectoral programmes, and some specificprojects. These projects often place emphasis on raw materials, equipment, and manpower
requirements; but they hardly address the technological aspects or the policy needs of theirdevelopment planning. The priority for technology application is to be found in every sector.
For example: in agriculture, research that is supported on a long term and consistent basis provides
rich rewards in increased crop yields; in education, provision of quality primary and secondarytraining and the conduct of research enable workers to attain higher levels of productivity; in industry,
entrepreneurial success is associated with higher levels of education and possession of adequate
technical skills; and in health, technological breakthroughs are eradicating diseases, increasing life
expectancy, and improving nutrition.
It is significant that only three sectors - agriculture, industry, and energy - account for more than halfof sub-Saharan Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). These sectors are the major employers oflabour, and the main sources of export earnings. It is equally significant that agriculture’s share ofWHAT IS A POVERTY R EDUCTION STRATEGY WITHOUT SCIENCE & T ECHNOLOGY?

39

regional GDP rose only 1% between 1980 and 1997, while its share of total employment declined.5
Recognizing that there are many challenges facing the development of Africa’s productive sectors,
it must be noted that these challenges are particularly complex in the case of the agricultural sector
which is not only the major source of food for the continent but also the largest employer of labour.
For these reasons, discussion of the possible role of science and technology in poverty reduction
will concentrate on the agricultural sector, as an example of the strategic orientation of science andtechnology in African development.
Poverty and the Digital Divide
The digital divide between rich and poor countries is creating new framework for classifying
communities according to their knowledge intensity and prospects for development within the newworld economic order. The rapidly-advancing global revolution brought about by the application of
new information and communication technologies (ICTs) is widening the gap between sub-SaharanAfrica and the developed world in a manner by which globalization benefits the world at the expenseof African interests. The only credible response is for Africa to seize the opportunities created by thesame revolution and apply these technologies as tools for solving Africa’s problems.
ICTs provide access to information that help to create employment opportunities, improve basic
services, reduce illiteracy and enhance education, and facilitate rapid improvement in the healthand human welfare systems of countries. ICTs can be used to improve the lives of the poor, especially
if governments apply these technologies to improve service delivery to the poor. ICTs, in short, canplay a significant role in broadbased development that includes economic management andgovernance, security and the environment, health and education, infrastructure, rural development,
and income generation. More importantly, ICTs can interlink activities within these programmes tocreate a comprehensive and internally-consistent approach to national development. Hence thecompelling need to introduce the application of these technologies into the planning of any national
strategy for the reduction of poverty.
Experience from more advanced developing countries as well as reports from some African countries
show that ICTs carry several opportunities for the poor, especially if the application is broadbased.
For example:• Information access of the poor is often limited to the radio. A recent survey of 21,000 farmers
in radio-based farms in Zambia reported that 90% of the farmers claimed that the facility
was relevant to their achievement of more than 50% increase in crop yields.6• In education, particularly in primary and secondary schools, radio, television, and satellite
transmission become important to the rural poor for the training of teachers.

5
6

African Development Report 1998, (Fig. 2.1, Fig. 2.2)
Dodds (1999)

ATPS SPECIAL PAPER SERIES N O. 18

40• Similarly, in the health sector, public health education is facilitated in dramatic ways by
ICTs. Reports claim that among health workers, 54% in Uganda and 20% in Kenya havedone radio-backed training courses, and the participants reported improved knowledge
and better attitudes.
• Small scale entrepreneurs and manufacturers of traditional handicrafts find that ICTs can
assist their marketing and distribution locally and beyond. In Kenya, a manufacturer of wood
carvings, pottery and baskets claimed that his revenue jumped from $10,000 to $2,000,000
in two years by going on line.7• ICTs multiply opportunities in trade and investment.
• Establishing telecentres is a significant means of creating jobs. In India’s Punjab region
10,000 such centres reportedly sprang up in 1996 with an average gross revenue of $9,000
per centre; while in rural Bangladesh, introduction of a telephone line reportedly reduced
business costs by a factor of 13 times the cost of installation.8• With more than 10 million workers carrying out data entry tasks in North America9, it ispossible to train low-income literate workers in Africa to similarly expand the reach of thetechnology.
• By increasing the awareness level and education of the people and improving the warning
capacity, ICTs reduce the impact of natural disasters on the poor.
Technology in the Agricultural Sector
It is estimated that 70% of sub-Saharan Africa’s population lives in rural areas, and 80% of thesehouseholds are subsistence farmers. This strongly suggests that poverty reduction mechanisms
need to allocate a considerable portion of their efforts and resources to address the material andnon-material needs of rural farming. While most of the mechanisms would focus on agriculture,others would need to attend to accompanying human welfare: security, health, education, shelter,
and access to water. Transforming agriculture and expanding its productive capacity is probably themost important prerequisite for improving living standards in the continent.
Agricultural growth in sub-Saharan Africa is constrained by a variety of influences ranging frominappropriate policies to a lack of diversification, slow pace of technological progress, and weak
infrastructure and finance facilities. The problems facing agriculture now are not simply ones ofincreasing output. In the longer term it would be crucial to also raise productivity.
A variety of enhanced farming technologies that have been successfully used in other developing
countries are available for adaptation and application in sub-Saharan Africa. But there needs to be aplanned, coordinated and consistent implementation of any strategy to introduce these technologies.

Africa Business, (1999)
International Telecommunications Union (1999)
9
Schware and Hume (1996)
7
8

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41

It is well known that the peasant farmer and the small-scale commercial farmer use mainly the
traditional mode, characterized by labour-intensive techniques. While the knowledge component is
considerable, the tools are simple and powered by human or animal energy. On the other hand, themedium and large-scale commercial farmers use modern technologies which consist of powerdriven machinery and a wide variety of chemicals and other inputs. The large majority of African
farmers fall into the first category. Strategies to be designed to nurture them should significantly boost
their production capabilities and thus reduce their poverty levels.
In the processing of agricultural products, there are opportunities for employment creation based on
the choice of technology. The choice between capital-intensive and labour-intensive technologies
is directly related to employment policy whether at the state or at the firm level. Availability of choice,therefore, carries with it the opportunity to implement pro-poor policies. Several examples abound,but the following is a sample from the food-processing sub-sector:• product storage and infestation control• cereal and legume processing• vegetable and animal oil processing• vegetable and fruit processing• meats, fish, eggs, and poultry preparation• dairy products• plantation products processing (tea, coffee, cocoa, spices, rubber, etc.)• fermentation of assorted products
There are technological opportunities that poverty reduction schemes can target. A consideration ofsuch opportunities can make an input into strategies that are being planned in various countries
towards poverty reduction. Some examples are:1. Food Security
The approach of many countries has often included the importation of staple foods and crops. Thisdrains the country’s scarce foreign exchange resources. There are technologies that can save timeand reduce waste especially in harvesting, processing, transportation, and storage. African scienceand technology institutions like the African Regional Centre for Engineering Design and
Manufacturing, in Ibadan, and the African Regional Centre for Technology, in Dakar, have designed
and produced prototypes of functional medium-level technological tools and machinery which canbe replicated and mass produced by willing countries. The organization and management required
to put this into effect is currently a limiting factor.
2. Irrigation
The rate of technological innovation in the agricultural sector has been slow, partly as a result of overdependence on rain-fed agriculture and weak research and extension facilities. Small scale, labourintensive and easy-to-manage schemes such as surface irrigation from wells, controlled flooding,

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and development of inland valleys and basins are opportunities of introducing low-to-medium leveltechnologies that will also enhance the skills of low-income workers. Existing irrigation schemes
can be improved and new ones established to reduce over dependence on rain-fed agriculture.
3. Improved Crop Varieties
New technologies and crop varieties that are disease, pest and drought resistant are also available
from the laboratories of agricultural research centers across the continent, especially the CGIAR
system. But there is need to provide incentives to local farmers to adopt these technologies. New
strategies can be considered for achieving this objective. Credit policies have generally not been
helpful to smallholder farmers; access by the rural population to credit must therefore be improvedby building on documented strengths of indigenous savings and credit societies in the informal
sector.
4. Increasing Crop Yields
Improved seeds have been introduced at various times in a number of countries. But other non-seed
problems (including drought, poor soil quality, pests, timing, etc.) have frustrated the expected results.
Improvement in soil quality and environment through irrigation, fertilizers, cultivation, etc. are often
inefficient and can be greatly improved by other technological means of delivery. The capacity toproperly manage both the technological processes and tools is another factor that has limited theprospects of potential scientific benefits.
5. The Promise of Biotechnology
Sub-Saharan African countries do not appear poised to take maximum advantage of developments
in biotechnology. Advances in this field, especially through research, are likely to revolutionize
agriculture and food production in ways that could alleviate food and nutrition shortages in Africancountries. Yet, biotechnology research gets little recognition and insignificant funding from African
governments. The continent’s scholarly community similarly pursues biotechnology more as a fieldof human curiosity and academic challenge rather than as a veritable means to an end. If thepromise of biotechnology is to be realized in Africa in substantial ways, the attitude of key stakeholders
towards this field would have to change, and decision-makers would need to allocate greater priority
to its development. Otherwise, the fate of Africa would once again be that of a consumer of imported
benefits whose production is determined elsewhere.

6.

Recommendations

1.

The World Bank/IMF guidelines argue that microeconomic stability is necessary for growth
because it is the cornerstone of any successful effort to increase private sector development
and economic growth. Indeed, macroeconomic instability would hurt the poor more thananyone else. But it is the sectoral contribution to growth that would most determine theimpact on poverty. Because agriculture is the sector that would have the dominant effect on
the poor in sub-Saharan Africa, it is recommended that greater emphasis and priority be
accorded this sector in any new strategies that are being contemplated.

2.

Preparing an acceptable strategy paper with the World Bank/IMF guidelines would requirethat the country task forces possess certain high and technical skills if they are to meet thestandards of their counterparts in Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America, and India. There isclearly a need for capacity strengthening, not just to submit an acceptable paper this time,
but also to provide a strong base for establishing a sound and sustainable national planning
framework for development. The international development assistance community should
see an opportunity here to channel their assistance to this compelling need. Theoreticalmacroeconomic planning is not sufficient to reduce poverty; skills in managing complex
and interlinked sets of development problems, under harsh and externally-induced changing
conditions, are going to be critical in formulating new strategies. Also, the human resourcebase available in most countries for undertaking these important activities is very narrow,stretching thin their capacity to meet the demand for their skills and expertise.

3.

It appears from the interim strategy papers that the countries are responding to a World
Bank/IMF questionnaire without necessarily planning new measures to fight poverty. The
countries have provided data to characterize the poverty situation but have not demonstrated
a clear understanding of the dynamics of poverty and the particular nature of its components.
It is recommended that the governments be assisted to adapt the World Bank/IMF guidelines
to suit local circumstances and culture. As long as the governments set their priorities on
securing concessionary funding, the World Bank/IMF agenda will continue to drive theprocess.

4.

It is recommended that the countries recognize the need to involve donors from the earlystages of the planning process, especially since such donors may help to identify the gaps
in local capacity, and help to strengthen the national effort to fill such gaps. The process of43

ATPS SPECIAL PAPER SERIES N O. 18

44

preparing a PRSP should normally include consultations with donors. But, on the one
hand, the World Bank and IMF have led countries to believe that if a strategy paper issatisfactory to them, then donors will embrace it. On the other hand, donors are notnecessarily in agreement with all World Bank/IMF policies. It is possible that aspects of
PRSP that are formulated with a huge donor perspective may not satisfy World Bank/IMF
expectation. This would create a dilemma for the country.
5.

It is also recommended that the governments be assisted to fully appreciate the role andpotential contribution of the private sector and civil society in fighting poverty, and to accord
them corresponding responsibility and opportunity to make a difference. Until now,
government approaches tend towards poverty alleviation (which is immediate and temporary)rather than towards poverty reduction (which is permanent but longer term).

6.

The consultative process in some of the countries appears rather perfunctory for now. It is
recommended that this be deepened and organized more purposefully in order to achieve
the necessary impact. The targeted participants need to be carefully selected and sensitized,
so that they are adequately prepared for the tasks that they would be called upon to do. Such
participants need to be able to appreciate the nature of their responsibility and its
consequences, as well as the importance of their role in a consensus-building national
approach. They would need to be provided in advance with the tools and materials to maketheir participation in the meetings useful and concrete.

7.

It is necessary to reduce and harmonize the several economic planning instruments andframeworks which presently co-exist in many of the countries. First, it is recommended thatthese be sharpened to become mutually consistent in terms of their policy prescriptions.
Secondly, it is recommended that the institutional requirements of these instruments befine-tuned to allow greater flexibility in implementation, more capacity building opportunities,
and better capacity utilization.

8.

A crucial dimension of the PRSP is its implementability which would be largely determinedby the resources, human and financial, that would be available to undertake its prescriptions.
It is important that countries be aware that poverty elimination may be an ambitious goal,
and that a poverty reduction strategy could be a long term but realistic process which
requires a sound foundation. Striking the right balance between a politically-induced quickfix programme and a realistic, truly pro-poor policy approach is a challenge that the PRSP
must overcome.

9.

Much attention needs to be given to the financing of poverty reduction strategies. It is
recommended that country task forces re-examine the macroeconomic linkages andconstraints within the country and draw out possible scenarios of trade-offs. Full costing of
the financial implications of any proposed strategy should be undertaken along with arealistic assessment of domestic and external sources of funding. The provisions of theWHAT IS A POVERTY R EDUCTION STRATEGY WITHOUT SCIENCE & T ECHNOLOGY?

45

Medium Term Expenditure Framework, (for example, as in the case of Ghana and Uganda),
may not be a suitable context for this purpose.
10. It is recommended that conscious efforts be made to seek appropriate economic
opportunities where scientific and technological intervention could spur rapid growth. Poverty
reduction strategies should thus include the removal of barriers to access to technology, to
new products, or to investment.
11. Public/private partnerships in science and technology have been shown to lead to greater
investment and significant economic improvement in other developing countries outside
Africa. It is recommended that these lessons be translated into an African setting. The
framework for this would include the following:• Making better use of national and regional science and technology institutions bydrawing on their talents and expertise for the application of rural-friendly and propoor technologies• Making African universities and their scholars active partners in fighting poverty by
involving them more directly in the planning and implementation of poverty reduction
projects. (This could be accompanied by non-monetary incentives like academic
recognition and promotion.)• Identifying science and technology assets that could be harnessed for the direct benefitof the rural poor
• Giving a stronger role to NGOs and building upon their existing grassroots andcommunity infrastructure
12. It is recommended that the enormous potential of new technologies, particularly
biotechnology and information and communication technologies, be actively harnessed.
Country task forces need to appreciate the beneficial consequences that may be triggeredby policy reforms in this sector. International comparison shows, for example, thattelecommunication policy reform in Eastern Europe, India, Peru, and Thailand have led todramatic growth in privately operated telecentres for rural inhabitants. In sub-Saharan Africa
there is still an urgent need to take the first step of providing the appropriate infrastructure.

ABOUT THE AFRICAN TECHNOLOGY POLICY STUDIES NETWORKThe African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) is a multi-disciplinary network of researchers,
policy makers, actors in the private sector and other end users interested in generating, promoting
and strengthening innovative science and technology policies in Africa. With a regional secretariat in
Nairobi, the network operates through national chapters in 17 countries, with an expansion plan tocover the entire sub-Saharan Africa.
One of the objectives of the network is to disseminate research results to policy makers, legislators,
the organized private sector, civil society, mass media and farmers’ groups through publications,dialogue and advocacy. Among its range of publications are the Working Paper Series (WPS),
Research Paper Series (RPS), Special Paper Series (SPS) and the Technopolicy Briefs.
Papers published under the ATPS Special Paper Series are those commissioned as concept
papers, think pieces, leading conference papers and keynote addresses. In keeping with
our knowledge brokerage function, ATPS publishes, with permission of the author(s) or
journal editors, papers (published or unpublished) produced by distinguished academics/
researchers for a different purpose but judged by ATPS to be of excellent quality. Thesepapers address significant policy questions relevant to the work of ATPS and/or support
the Southern voice or an African perspective. We also consider theoretical papers that
advance our knowledge of science and technology policy issues.
ATPS is supported by a growing number of donors including the International Development ResearchCentre (IDRC), the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Rockefeller Foundation, the World Bank,
the OPEC Fund, Ford Foundation, Coca-Cola Eastern Africa, the African Development Bank, InfoDev,
and the Royal Dutch Government.

For more information on this series and ATPS Contact:

The Executive Director
The African Technology Policy Studies Network
3rd Floor, The Chancery, Valley Road
P.O. Box 10081 00100 General Post Office
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254-020-2714092/168/498
Fax: +254-020-2714028
Email: info@atpsnet.org
Website: http://www.atpsnet.org

Other Publications in the ATPS Special Paper SeriesSpecial Paper Series 1
Globalization and Technology: Africa’s Participation and Perspectives: Concept Paper and Research Agenda by Melvin Ayogu &Osita Ogbu (2002)
Special Paper Series 2
Globalization, Markets for Technology and the Relevance of Innovation Policies in Developing
Economies by Sunil Mani (2002)
Special Paper Series 3
Biotechnology in sub-Saharan Africa: Towards a Policy Research Agenda byJohn Mugabe (2000)
Special Paper Series 4
The Impact of Globalization in sub-Saharan Africa Countries by Mwindaace N. Siamwiza (2002)
Special Paper Series 5
A Blueprint for Developing National ICT Policy in Africa by Clement Dzidonu2002
Special Paper Series 6
Impact of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on Technology Transfer in Africa by Moses M. Ikiara(2002)
Special Paper Series 7
Pursuing Technology Policy Research in sub-Saharan Africa: Reflections on the Dimensions,Applications and Implications of a Methodological Framework by M.H. Khalil-Tammy (2002)
Special Paper Series 8
African Response to the Information Communication Technology Revolution by G. Olalere Ajayi(2002)
Special Paper Series 9
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs): Poverty Alleviation and Universal AccessPolicies by Andrew Dymond & Sonja Oestmann (2002)
Special Paper Series 10
ICT Human Resource Development in Africa: Challenges, Strategies and Options by T.M. Waema(2002).
Special Paper Series 11
Applications of ICTs in Africa: Development of Knowledge Workers in Centres of Learning by John

Muraguri Waibochi (2002).
Special Paper Series 12
State of Science and Technology Capacity in sub-Saharan Africa by Khalil-Timamy (2002).
Special Paper Series 13
Strengthening National Information and Cmmunication Technology Policy in Africa: Governance,
Equity and Institutional Issues by Melvin Ayogu
Special Paper Series 14
A Science Agenda from An Afrian Perspective by Turner T. Isoun
Special Paper Series 15
International Trends in Modern Bio-technology: Entry by and Implications for African Countries byJohn Mugabe
Special Paper Series 16
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), technology Transfer and Poverty Alleviation: Africa’s Hopes andDilemma by Moses Ikiara
Special Paper Series 17
Global Governance of Technology and Africa’s Global Inclusion by Banji Oyeyinka

Dr. Akin Adubifa is currently undertaking commissioned research and providing advisory services tointernational organizations. Previously he worked for the Carnegie Corporation of New York, as a
Program Officer.