Nairobi: Ten sub-Saharan countries have halved their poverty rates over the past two decades but child mortality has risen in six nations of the African region, a report on UN Millennium Development Goals revealed.
African nations that halved their poverty rates since 1990 include relatively populous countries such as Ethiopia and Egypt, and post-conflict countries such as Angola, the report which was released yesterday said.
The report also observed the rise in the number of persons living in poverty in countries like Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region in the world that has seen an increase in the under-five mortality rate, which has risen in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Kenya and Zambia.
Thirty-four of 36 countries with child mortality rates above 100 in per 1000 births are in the region. The others are Afghanistan and Myanmar.
PTI
