ConceptLink interviews Dr. Jeffrey Sachs on Africa & Millennium Development Goals
10 Nov 2008
In conjunction with our event management work for the Nigeria Higher Education Foundation (NHEF) symposium on November 13, 2008, we interviewed keynote speaker, Jeffrey D. Sachs, PhD, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and Co-Founder and President of the Millennium Promise Alliance.
Dr. Sachs' keynote address emphasized the urgency and importance of steps that still need to be taken in order to put an end to extreme hunger, fight diseases, achieve universal education and combat other setbacks prevalent in Africa.
ConceptLink Consulting interviewed him to learn more about how much has been accomplished in attaining the Millennium Development Goals and how the economy is affecting these efforts. Here is an exerpt from the interview:
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Q: Who are you calling to action and what partnerships have been established with other organizations and institutions that share your goal of achieving the Millennium Development Goals, particularly in Africa, by 2015?
Jeffrey Sachs: The MDGs are a global commitment, and a global movement. Their success depends on actions by governments rich and poor, academia, civil society, businesses, and local communities. This is the partnership approach we've been taking to promote the MDGs.
Q: Once the goal of eradicating extreme poverty is achieved, what type of higher education programs are necessary within these countries in order for them to continue with their development?
JS: We live in a Knowledge Age and a Knowledge Economy. Our problems — poverty, hunger, disease, environmental degradation — all require science and technology. International competitiveness — in agriculture, industry, and services — is dependent on advanced technologies and a good understanding of the world. For these reasons, the universities are central to global problem solving and economic development.
Q: How has your plan to fight poverty been revised to factor in the current global economic downturn and its impact on foreign aid and private investment?
JS: We have to redouble our efforts in the midst of this crisis. It is unconscionable that a crisis that started in Wall Street should be an added burden for the world's poorest people. Therefore, as the rich world raises trillions of dollars for bank bailouts, it needs to raise at least billions of dollars for urgent investments in agriculture, health, education, and infrastructure. The global investments institutions such as the World Bank, African Development Bank, and European Investment Bank should step up their efforts to support large-scale infrastructure investments — roads, power, ports, telecomms, broadband — in Africa. This is the time to increase investments, not to postpone them.
Dr. Sachs' keynote address emphasized the urgency and importance of steps that still need to be taken in order to put an end to extreme hunger, fight diseases, achieve universal education and combat other setbacks prevalent in Africa.
ConceptLink Consulting interviewed him to learn more about how much has been accomplished in attaining the Millennium Development Goals and how the economy is affecting these efforts. Here is an exerpt from the interview:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Who are you calling to action and what partnerships have been established with other organizations and institutions that share your goal of achieving the Millennium Development Goals, particularly in Africa, by 2015?
Jeffrey Sachs: The MDGs are a global commitment, and a global movement. Their success depends on actions by governments rich and poor, academia, civil society, businesses, and local communities. This is the partnership approach we've been taking to promote the MDGs.
Q: Once the goal of eradicating extreme poverty is achieved, what type of higher education programs are necessary within these countries in order for them to continue with their development?
JS: We live in a Knowledge Age and a Knowledge Economy. Our problems — poverty, hunger, disease, environmental degradation — all require science and technology. International competitiveness — in agriculture, industry, and services — is dependent on advanced technologies and a good understanding of the world. For these reasons, the universities are central to global problem solving and economic development.
Q: How has your plan to fight poverty been revised to factor in the current global economic downturn and its impact on foreign aid and private investment?
JS: We have to redouble our efforts in the midst of this crisis. It is unconscionable that a crisis that started in Wall Street should be an added burden for the world's poorest people. Therefore, as the rich world raises trillions of dollars for bank bailouts, it needs to raise at least billions of dollars for urgent investments in agriculture, health, education, and infrastructure. The global investments institutions such as the World Bank, African Development Bank, and European Investment Bank should step up their efforts to support large-scale infrastructure investments — roads, power, ports, telecomms, broadband — in Africa. This is the time to increase investments, not to postpone them.
