At the same time, the authors insisted that there were reasons for at least some hope, including examples of reduced corruption and improved governments. The report was compiled by the World Bank and African-oriented organizations such as the African Economic Research Consortium, the African Development Bank, the Global Coalition for Africa and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. The report comes at a time of extraordinary problems for the vast region that is home to about 600 million people. AIDS and malaria are slashing Africa's young work force, eroding productivity and economic growth. Conflicts such as the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia have been spreading chaos.
Political corruption continues to drain resources.
The study also painted a striking picture of Africa's exclusion from the global economy. Africa's share of global trade has been shrinking, and the region receives a minuscule share of foreign investment. Globalization has largely passed this continent by. The report singled out Africa's failure to diversify its economies beyond exports of basic commodities, its reliance on foreign aid and its debt burden as problems that have held back advancement. According to the report, Africa is burdened by an exceptionally large gap between rich and poor, with wide inequality in income, wealth and access to basic services.