Key Findings from the DATA Report 2011

For the past five years, the DATA Report has monitored the historic commitments to sub-Saharan Africa that the G8 and European Union made in 2005. These promises were due to be delivered in 2010, a year that also marked the crucial two-thirds point for the world to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

In 2010, development assistance to sub-Saharan Africa was the highest on record. However, the increases over the past five years still fell short of the commitments made in 2005, and the prospect of scaling up efforts to meet commitments beyond 2010 could be in jeopardy. Flatlining or even cuts from some donors threatens to undermine recent progress made in fighting HIV/AIDS and malaria, boosting agricultural productivity and sending children to school.

Upcoming budget decisions in the United States, Germany, France and the EU will provide a bellwether on which countries have the political will to keep their commitments to Africa during the next five years. UK Prime Minister David Cameron has already set an example of moral and political leadership through his decision to maintain the UK’s pledge to achieve 0.7% of GNI for ODA by 2013, despite massive budget cuts across the government.

At the international level, the GAVI financing conference and funding for the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme will be two critical tests of the global community’s resolve to continue progress toward achieving the MDGs.

Development assistance is just one element of the development agenda – and one component of development finance broadly. In addition to increased development assistance, another headline of the past decade has been the boom in other resource flows to sub-Saharan African countries, including remittances, foreign direct investment and domestic resources.

In line with the evolution of the discussion on development financing, the 2011 DATA Report focuses on effectiveness, innovation and the role of new partners in development assistance. The key findings show that, despite historic increases and remarkable results over the past decade, donors still fell short of meeting their commitments to sub-Saharan Africa by 2010. The road to 2015 is less clear than the path to 2010, with budgets tightening and some countries lacking overall targets for their development assistance.

This challenging landscape will require all development partners – African governments, donors and private sector actors – to renew their focus on effectiveness, innovation and results to ensure that the impact of every development dollar is maximised.

Key Findings

1. There have been historic increases in development assistance to sub-Saharan Africa over the past ten years, especially in the five years since Gleneagles. Read more

2. Results since 2000 are living proof that investments in development are working. Read more

3. Because of shortfalls from a sub-set of countries, the G7 delivered only 61% of their promised increases to sub-Saharan Africa by 2010. Read more

4. Individually, some G7 efforts to meet their development assistance targets were commendable, but others were condemnable. Read more

5. Clear and collective commitments are needed to ensure accountability post-Gleneagles. Read more

6. Innovative financing can help mobilise the resources needed to achieve the MDGs. Read more

7. In a time of constrained resources, the effectiveness of each dollar is even more critical. Read more

8. New partnerships must be built on transparency and accountability. Read more