Annals of the Social Science Academy of Nigeria 14&15(1) 2002/3 DOI: 10.36108/ssan/32002.5141.0110
The Poverty of Development: Prolegomenon to a Critique of Development Policy in Africa*
John F.E. Ohiorhenuan
UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in South Africa
Abstract
The focus on poverty reduction in Africa may be a case of doing the right thing for the wrong reason. Undoubtedly, directly focusing on poverty as an integral part of macroeconomic policy making is essential and a welcome addition to the narrower prescriptions of structural adjustment programmes. But experience so far with Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSPJ raises the concern that, compared with structural adjustment programmes (SAPs), the real innovation of PRSPs is that they now prescribe, and set conditionalities on, process in addition to content. In consequence, it is difficult to sustain the argument that Africa is (finally) taking charge of its own destiny