African countries can accelerate their economic growth in the next decade if the continent focuses on developing the private sector, increasing farm exports and improving the management of its natural resources, the World Bank's top official for Africa said on Tuesday. Gobind Nankani, the World Bank's new vice president for Africa, said the continent must first tackle the problems of HIV/AIDS and violent conflicts to achieve its potential. "I believe that it is possible within ten years to envision an Africa with robust economic growth, expanded exports, more jobs and higher incomes -- especially for the poor and those in the rural areas," Nankani, who took up his new post on Oct. 15, said during a visit to Kenya. "(But) without tackling the threats posed by the AIDS pandemic and by violent conflict, our efforts to create a new future for Africa will show few results." Africa, the world's poorest continent, has the highest number of people infected by AIDS which experts say contributes to food insecurity, forces families to exhaust savings and pull children out of schools. Civil wars in several countries have also put a heavy burden on Africa's economies. The World Bank says the conflicts has left 15 million Africans homeless and another 4.5 million seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. --More 2320 Local Time 2020 GMT
