Comparing Poverty Reduction Strategies in Eastern and Southern Africa

This concluding chapter compares the poverty reduction strategies of six sub-Saharan African countries (Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia). Three of them, i.e. Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, are Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPCs) whose policies to reduce poverty are laid down in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), guided by the precepts of the Bretton Woods institutions. The other group are non-HIPC and thus, in principle, in a freer position to design homegrown strategies. The analysis shows, however, that there are more commonalities than differences in the poverty reduction strategies of these two groups. The economic fundamentals are more or less the same and both groups attach importance to the social sectors, not only to reduce poverty in the short run but also as an investment in future productive capacity. Furthermore, it emerged that most of these countries, regardless of belonging to the HIPC or non-HIPC categories, have sustained relatively high rates of economic growth in recent years. However, the distribution of growth has been skewed, reflecting in large measure the neglect of agriculture from which the overwhelming majority of the poor derive an income.