Investing in infrastructure is essential for the development and growth of a society. For example, by connecting farmers with local and regional markets, and providing access to school and health care facilities, infrastructure enables communities to prosper. However, a recent World Bank report, Africa’s Infrastructure: a Time for Transformation revealed that although Africa has made significant progress in developing infrastructure, additional efforts are still needed.

The study, which was conducted in 24 countries across the continent, found that inadequate infrastructure, including poor electricity, water, roads, and information and communications technology (ICT), can shrink national economic growth by two percent every year and can decrease productivity by up to 40 percent.

In the report, the World Bank estimates that Africa will need to spend $93 billion annually to elevate African infrastructure to the level of other countries, meet the Millennium Development Goals, and achieve national development goals within 10 years. This figure doubles earlier estimates.

According to the report, Africa is already spending $45 billion a year on infrastructure. The report suggests that using this money and other existing resources more efficiently would free up $17.4 billion in annual spending for infrastructure every year. The report notes, however, that even with this additional spending, African countries would still be $31 billion short of the estimated need of $93 billion. The report urged the international community to invest to help fill the $31 billion infrastructure gap, underscoring the significance of infrastructure development for long-term economic growth and poverty alleviation:

“Modern infrastructure is the backbone of an economy and the lack of it inhibits economic growth,” said Obiageli Ezekwesili, President for the Africa Region at the World Bank. “This report shows that investing more funds without tackling inefficiencies would be like pouring water into a leaking bucket. Africa can plug those leaks through reforms and policy improvements which will serve as a signal to investors that Africa is ready for business.”

Yesterday the US Senate confirmed Daniel W. Yohannes to be the new CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation. During his confirmation, Yohannes stated his confidence that “MCC’s anti-poverty partnerships worldwide will generate sustainable economic growth and opportunity.”

You can read the MCC’s statement here.

On Tuesday, Transparency International (TI) released their 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), revealing that many sub-Saharan African countries remain among the most corrupt world-wide.

The annually-released index ranks how corrupt governments are perceived to be, according to international institutions such as the World Economic Forum, the World Bank and the African Development Bank. The 2009 CPI ranked 180 countries on perceived levels of domestic public sector corruption based on up to 13 independent surveys per country. The countries are ranked on a scale of 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 10 (perceived to have low levels of corruption).

Somalia was ranked as the most corrupt nation in the index, followed by other conflict-ridden and fragile states, such as Sudan and Chad. The vast majority of sub-Saharan African countries ranked in the bottom of the index, demonstrating that much of the region is still plagued by poor governance and corrupt practices.

Patrick Berg, program coordinator for TI, explained the link between poverty and corruption: “Where you find poverty, corruption usually hits people the hardest,” he said. However, the news is not all bad: Berg said that countries who have made consistent efforts to improve their governance, such as Botswana, Mauritius and Cape Verde, have improved their rankings.

Huguette Labelle, chair of TI maintains that countries at the bottom of the index should not be left out of development efforts. The poor rankings indicate, rather, that there is a need to strengthen country institutions. “Stemming corruption requires strong oversight by parliaments, a well performing judiciary, independent and properly resourced audit and anti-corruption agencies, vigorous law enforcement, transparency in public budgets, revenue and aid flows, as well as space for independent media and a vibrant civil society,” said Labelle. “The international community must find efficient ways to help war-torn countries to develop and sustain their own institutions.”

Check out this interactive map to see how countries scored in this year’s CPI.

Wednesday wrapped up the World Summit on Food Security in Rome. Just to recap in case you missed the last post, the Summit was intended to bring together heads of state and food security institutions, like the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP), to further the global agenda on eradicating hunger and pursuing global food security.

The Summit attendees released a declaration that reinforces their commitment to fully realizing the first Millennium Development Goal of halving hunger and poverty by 2015. The declaration also commits to promoting better coordination of food security efforts at local, regional, and national levels, as well as reversing the decline in funding for food security, and addressing the challenges of climate change as they impact food security, including adaptation of and mitigation in the agriculture sector. The declaration did not adopt the FAO’s ask of $44 billion annually for food security initiatives, or the goal of eradicating global hunger by 2025.

The group did use the communiqué to outline the Five Rome Principles for Sustainable Global Food Security which form a basis for this work. The principles reflect the five principles proposed by the U.S. at the L’Aquila G8 Summit, which were reiterated by the leaders of the G20 at their meeting in Pittsburgh in September. If implemented, the principles—investing in country-owned, country-led plans; coordinating at national, regional, and global levels; investing in short-, medium-, and long-term initiatives to address hunger and food insecurity; providing a role for the multilateral system; and ensuring sustained and substantial commitments—will go a long way to ensuring that development assistance for agriculture and food security is effective.

Two countries did take forward steps at the Summit as well: Canada reiterated their commitments to the L’Aquila Food Security Initiative and their country plan which will coordinate Canada’s food security strategy. If you missed our post about Canada’s announcement, you can read it here. Germany also publicly announced their share of L’Aquila commitment: they will provide €700 million or about $1 billion over three years for food security initiatives. $300 million will be new money that is not already in the pipeline, and this pledge does not include emergency assistance. These clarifications are important next steps in constructing a global system that works for food security. We are eager to see further clarification of funding from these and other countries.

The Economist: How to Feed the World
The Economist reports that despite a global recession and food prices on the rise once again, developing countries still have a brief window of opportunity in which to set long-term food security policy goals without being distracted by panic measures. According to the article, world leaders must do two things: invest in the productive capacity of agriculture and improve the operation of food markets. Over the past year investment has risen faster than anyone expected, but distrust of markets and a reaction against farm trade are growing. Unless governments restrain those impulses, writes the Economist, they will undermine the gains from rising investment.

The Globe and Mail: The urban poor are going hungry
With a renewed focus on food security after the UN food summit this week, the Globe reports that a major flaw hindering progress on this front is the idea that food insecurity is exclusively a rural problem and that the solution is to get small farmers to grow more food. Rural populations in almost all developing countries are decreasing, while the opposite is true of urban populations, indicating that the urban poor’s vulnerability to food insecurity is often as great or even greater than the rural poor.

The Los Angeles Times: Homophobia and AIDS funding can’t coexist (Op-Ed)
The L.A. Times reports that in spite of all that the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has accomplished in the fight against AIDS, a persistent problem remains: the promotion of homophobia by African governments receiving American aid money. In no nation is this problem more acute than in Uganda, one of 15 PEPFAR “focus” countries that collectively account for half of the world’s HIV infections. Homosexuality is considered a taboo in most of Africa, and “the consequences are devastating not only for the people directly affected by these adverse policies but for the fight against AIDS in general.”

Associated Press: 20 years after UN pact, many children still suffer
The Associated Press reports that on the 20th anniversary of the United Nations adopting the Convention on the Rights of the Child, there are still hundreds of millions of children who suffer from violence, hunger and disease. Associated Press correspondents around the globe interviewed children who illustrate the remaining challenges, along with some victories.

Vanguard (Nigeria): HIV/AIDS : US increases funding in Africa
The United State’s President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has increased funding for HIV/AIDS in Africa from $2.3 billion in 2004 to $6.6 billion in 2009. Speaking yesterday in Abuja at a press conference ahead of World Aids Day on December 1, USAID representative Alonzo Wind also promised continuous support in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Nigeria and across the continent.

AllAfrica.com: Africa: Consequences of Less Funding for Aids – Living With Aids # 413
AllAfrica.com reports that due to the international recession, donors are either decreasing or opting not to increase their funding of AIDS treatment, which will have devastating effects on poorer countries that are largely dependent on foreign aid. In light of recent reports that both the Global Fund Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and PEPFAR have reduced funding for approved grants, the article explores the potential effects of limited funding for AIDS treatment in South Africa specifically.

AllAfrica.com: Africa: Women’s Rights – Looking Back Or Moving Forward? (Op-Ed)
Oxfam’s Gender Justice and Governance lead, Mary Wandia, explores the emergence of African women’s issues in 2009, arguing that despite more attention being paid globally on this front, it is clear that “women’s lives have not yet seen the promise of the continental framework.” According to Wandia, violations of women’s human rights have reached epidemic proportions and questions whether African leaders are ready to rise up to address this critical challenge. She closes the article by arguing for the adoption of a multidimensional approach to the implementation and monitoring of regional and international commitments.

As you know, the FAO World Food Summit ended yesterday in Rome. Check out the articles below to see a variety of reactions to the Summit:

World leaders’ low turnout hits UN food summit (Reuters Africa)
The absence of world leaders at this week’s World Food Summit presented a challenge from the start. The Summit’s final declaration did not result in additional financial commitments; some have attributed this lack of progress to the lackluster attendance by heads of state. Less than a third of the 192 heads of states and governments invited by the FAO attended the Summit. Many sent their agriculture ministers instead.

What is the point of the world food summit on food security? (The Guardian Blog)
Despite criticism that the World Food Summit did not result in substantial increases in aid for agriculture, the president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Kanayo Nwanze, expressed that the point of the Summit was not to gather pledges, but to encourage the leaders of developing countries to commit themselves to making agriculture and food security top priorities.

Food security – collective race against crises (This Day; allAfrica.com)
At the three-day summit in Rome, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon declared that food and nutritional security are the foundations for a healthy life for all people. He called for immediate action against food insecurity and hunger and laid out a comprehensive list of measures to combat food insecurity, which, he said, will be exacerbated by population growth and climate change.

Declaring a vision for world hunger (Oxfam International Blog)
Yesterday, the summit released a declaration outlining its vision on international food security and how it can be achieved. The declaration focuses on the poorest farmers but critics are saying that it does not go far enough to address issues affecting food security, including the global economic crisis and the onset of climate change.

On Tuesday, Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing on the International Aspects of Climate Change.

The hearing included testimony from Dr. Michael Levi from the Council on Foreign Relations, Nigel Purvis from Climate Advisors, Karen Harbert from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Taiya Smith from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Jake Colvin from the National Foreign Trade Council. As climate negotiations in Copenhagen draw near, the witnesses discussed how domestic and national efforts fit into a broader international agreement.

Witnesses touched on a broad range of climate-change related issues, including the role of China and India and the importance of durable U.S. domestic policy. Panelists generally agreed that while robust U.S. legislation is important, a cooperative international framework is essential, as is working with international partners. They made clear that international efforts should facilitate smart domestic policies and the domestic policies should be transparent, accountable and measurable.

Panelists emphasized that the U.S. must empower those who will work with us. Colvin and Levi both warned against measures such as taxes on carbon which could alienate potential allies, such as China and India. Harbert and Smith agreed, emphasizing that the U.S. cannot solve global climate change problems alone: India, China and other developing countries must be part of the solution.

Witnesses agreed that, as we move closer to negotiations in December, the U.S. should concentrate on incorporating domestic targets into a global framework so to produce a robust, inclusive and nationally-appropriate political deal in Copenhagen.

The Guardian—Bono and Geldof laud Queen’s speech commitment to global poverty relief
Bono and Bob Geldof welcomed Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s decision to include in his legislative agenda the enshrinement in law of international development spending, which would put the government’s commitment to spend 0.7% of national income on development from 2013 on to the statute books.”The proposal to make the 0.7% pledge legally binding is not just a great announcement, it is transformative of real lives, by a government that has led the world in keeping its promises to the world’s poorest people,” Bono said. “The next step is making sure this becomes law as soon as possible, in 2010.”

Voice of America—African Leaders Left Disappointed at End of UN Food Summit
A three-day United Nations food summit ended in Rome Wednesday without securing substantial new funds to combat world hunger, Voice of America News writes. Some African ministers left the summit saying world leaders are not doing enough to reduce soaring hunger levels on the continent.

Reuters—World leaders’ low turnout hits UN food summit
On a similar note about the U.N. food summit, Reuters writes that an absence of many world leaders undermined the summit from the start, and its final declaration showed little progress was made in the fight against hunger. U.N. officials put on a brave face throughout the November 16-18 Rome meeting, saying it had won broad support for the need to focus on longer-term agricultural development — rather than emergency aid — to help poor countries feed themselves. But the no-show by heavyweights from most of the world’s biggest economies lowered the summit’s profile, and did not help efforts to push malnutrition and food shortages to the top of the political agenda.

Reuters—Obama’s Democrats call for trade policy overhaul
A group of Democratic lawmakers urged President Obama on Wednesday to abandon the Doha round of global trade talks and start over with an agenda to protect labor rights and environmental standards. “We believe the Doha round should be declared dead,” Rep, Michael Michaud (D-ME), the chairman of a working group of U.S. lawmakers on trade issues, said at a news conference. The group is deeply skeptical of the free trade agenda that has dominated U.S. policy in recent years. Members say they are still waiting for Obama to keep campaign promises to reform U.S. trade policy to be more protective of American workers.

AllAfrica.com—Climate Change and the Population ‘Bomb’: A Debate Not to Shy Away From
The United Nations Population Fund released its “State of the World Population 2009″ report on Wednesday. It chose to take up a politically delicate topic, the relationship between climate change, population stabilization and the importance of gender. The fundamental question it seeks to address is: how much of a threat is the growth in population to the world and how much of this increase will lead to a spike in greenhouse gas emissions? As the report demonstrates, answers are not straightforward.

AFP—Eat local rice? Senegalese say no thanks
Similar to other poor but agriculturally-focused countries, the Senegalese government had what seemed a reasonable idea after last year’s food crisis: have the country grow and eat its own rice instead of sticking with the practice of importing tons from Asia. It was part of a larger plan to achieve self-sufficiency in food production. But the Senegalese, who serve rice with so many meals, said no thanks. Why? That’s where it gets sticky, writes the AFP. Explanations range from taste to social standing to the legacy of colonialism. Whatever the reason, the government is now figuring out how to promote locally grown rice and hopes to import none of the staple by 2012.

In more news from Capitol Hill on Tuesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously approved the nomination of Daniel Yohannes to be chief executive officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). As we mentioned earlier on our blog, Yohannes, a West Coast entrepreneur, banker and philanthropist emigrated to the U.S. from Ethiopia at the age of seventeen with $150 in his pocket. Yohannes testified before the Committee earlier this month, promising to create a “global culture of opportunity” at the MCC.

Yohannes’ nomination now moves to the Senate floor, but the exact timing is still unclear. We’ll keep you posted as more news comes up!

Great news! Yesterday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act (S. 1524) in a 15-3 vote. This bill will give USAID (the agency handling most of our U.S. foreign aid) the tools and people it needs to better fight poverty around the world.

ONE members, interns and staff delivered our Upgrade Aid petition earlier this month with over 45,000 signatures from ONE members across the country.

Take a look at what Committee Ranking Member Richard Lugar (R-IN) had to say about the bill’s passage:

The bill we passed today…is the product of well over a year of research and analysis by Senators and their staffs. It has attracted the support of most development groups, led by the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network. It is co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of 19 Senators, twelve of whom are members of this Committee. This level of backing for a bill related to foreign assistance structure is extremely rare. It provides an opportunity to build something approaching a consensus on this issue.

And here are some remarks by Senator John Kerry (D-MA), the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman:

This legislation demonstrates Congress’s commitment to strengthening the capacity, accountability and effectiveness of our foreign aid programs. With the U.S. facing critical foreign policy and development priorities worldwide, it is vital that we update our foreign aid programs to reflect the new challenges of the 21st century.

Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, added:

I’ve been able to see our foreign assistance dollars in action and am proud of the role we are playing in producing positive change in the lives of millions around the world, but at the same time, I share the frustration of many Americans that our foreign assistance efforts have often lacked transparency, coordination, monitoring and evaluation. This bill begins to reinvigorate USAID to improve the coordination, execution and efficiency of U.S. assistance so we can make each dollar go farther.

And Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman of the Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, said:

This is one of the most significant pieces of foreign assistance legislation that has passed out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in decades. I am proud that this is truly a bi-partisan bill, developed in a collaborative manner and that it includes input from a wide range of voices. These programs are critical to millions of people around the world, they contribute to our mutual economic health, and are in the direct national security interests of the United States.