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West Africa suffers from the greatest number of inequalities on the continent but many governments prefer to ignore the problems despite economic growth, said Tuesday a report by Oxfam and Development Finance International.
According to the report "West Africa Inequality Crisis", six of the ten fastest-growing African economies were in West Africa. Ivory Coast, Ghana and Senegal were among the 10 fastest growing economies in the world.
"In most countries, the benefits of this unprecedented economic growth have been reduced to a very small number," the report says.
"Inequality has reached extreme levels in the region and today, the richest 1% of West Africa has more than everyone in the region combined."
According to the report, the vast majority of West Africans have been "denied the most essential elements of a dignified life, such as quality education, health care and jobs. decent. "
In Nigeria, for example, the wealth of the five richest Nigerian men combined rises to $ 29.9 billion, more than the country's overall budget in 2017, the report says.
Instead of fighting inequality, some governments in the region have underfunded public services, such as health and education, and have failed to tackle corruption, said Oxfam Regional Director Adama Coulibaly.
The report calls on governments to do more to promote progressive taxation, increase social spending, strengthen labor market protection, invest in agriculture and strengthen the land rights of smallholders.
For example, the region loses about $ 9.6 billion a year because of the tax incentives offered by governments to attract investors.
But not all governments were fighting inequality in the same way. Cape Verde, Mauritania and Senegal are among the most determined to reduce inequality, while Nigeria, Niger and Sierra Leone are among the least important.
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