From September 20-22, 2010, a historic meeting will take place in New York, namely The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Review Summit. This Summit represents a critical milestone in assessing the progress of the MDGs launched in 2000. With only five years to go, the Summit will serve as a platform to showcase good practices around achieving Goal specific targets while addressing those targets that still remain a challenge.

For most countries, adopting the MDGs represented a pragmatic way to integrate a national policy toward combating human deprivation and nowhere was this more pertinent than in Africa.

So just how far along the road is Africa in achieving the MDGs?

There have been some successes noted toward Africa's MDG benchmarks.

For instance, on the education goals, the continent is on track in meeting the targets of primary education where enrolment for most learners has improved and in some cases showed marked increases. At the same time literacy rates for men and women aged between 15-24 also showed signs of improving.

Second, the promotion of gender equality and empowerment continued to show overall progress with the proportion of female representation in parliament remaining strong and Rwanda leading the way in this regard.

Third, on the health goals, reducing the under five child mortality rate from 168 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 132 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2008. While this does not indicate a rapid decline, it does, however, signal that progress is taking place, albeit slowly.

Overall then, the situation in Africa is variable. On social indicators there is progress toward meeting the targets of net primary enrolment, childhood immunization, curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS and TB and achieving gender parity. Yet in key areas of poverty reduction, employment and most health related targets, progress seems stagnant or very disappointing.