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Despite two decades of fast and sustained economic growth, Africa has not yet succeeded in translating economic gains into commensurate social development outcomes.
The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has been at the forefront of proposing an economic and social transformation agenda for Africa. The economic transformation agenda calls for Africa to build on its comparative advantage and shift towards increased productivity with a focus on adding value through commodity- based industrialization and deeper regional integration. Social transformation needs, in turn, to ensure that economic development translates into meaningful job creation and improved well-being of Africa’s populations.
ECA has developed a tool, the African Social Development Index (ASDI), to help member States track progress towards reducing human exclusion. In particular, the ASDI aims at estimating the depth of exclusion in six key dimensions of well-being across the life cycle, including health, education, employment, means of subsistence and decent life.
The Launch of the ASDI Report for East Africa is scheduled in Nairobi, Kenya, on 22 September 2016.