The alarming rate of poverty in Africa is a great cause of concerned and I think it is a grave mistake for people to just sit back and watch as it continues. We as citizens of Africa need to stand up and counted at this pointing time. Recently a certain American politician said that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who during the time of moral crisis maintain their neutrality. Unless we stand up and rescue millions of Africans from dying because of lack of food, clean water or treatable diseases we will end up on those hot places.

Now consider the following report:

The whole of sub-Saharan Africa – the poorest region of the world – will fail to meet the goals set seven years ago for eradicating global poverty by 2015 – the United Nations warned around July 2007. That failure was declared a “development emergency” by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the UN in July. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called an emergency meeting to discuss the issue this year.

The bigger question is do world leaders have real interest and obligation in ending poverty in Africa or it just moral guilt forced on them. According to BBC News promises by Western countries to double foreign aid to Africa over the next decade – made at the “Make Poverty History” G8 summit at Gleneagles in 2005 – are not being met. Aid budgets actually fell by 5% the year 2006, according to Hetty Kovach, Oxfam’s policy advisor on aid.

The so called world leaders have their interest in different parts the world but for sure unless we are delusional Africa is the last part of that bit. It might even be true that whenever they go to sleep Africa never crosses their minds.

Could it be time for Africans to wake up and stand up for their destiny? Many countries in East Asia have done very well in recent past in helping their citizens to overcome the poverty. A lesson Africans should learn and the sooner the better. Well Africa leaders are interesting lots, and we might need scientific study to understand what really drives them to be who they are in the first place. When once stable country like Zimbabwe is turned to a begging bowl then you know that there is something fundamentally wrong with the thinking of these leaders. Well western powers have their own interest vested in the case of Zimbabwe but should million of Zimbabweans die just because one old man wants to prove appoint to the west.

It is high time to start serious discussion on how to end poverty in Africa, I think the people themselves need to be involved. Join the discussion on how this can be possible