We do this under conditions not of our choosing. Mammoth challenges lie ahead that we must tackle. Unemployment is exceptionally high. Economic growth has been too slow to absorb large numbers of new entrants to the labour market. Levels of investment have been too low to drive economic growth to the desired rates.
Poverty is widespread.
Almost half the population live in conditions of poverty. Income and social inequalities are extreme. Levels of crime are turning the lives of ordinary people into terror and fear, act as a disincentive for tourism and investment, and take a huge human toll in deaths and wasted lives. Aggregate levels of skills in the economy are low, and the skills profile is skewed by the education and political policies of the past. There are serious gaps and weaknesses in our social infrastructure, in health and education.