Discussions will focus on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and how to achieve them.

Five years after the launch of the MDGs, sub-Saharan Africa is still far from being able to meet the target completion date of 2015. North Africa, however, is making steady progress.

Since 2000, sub-Saharan Africa has experienced significant reversals in crucial areas. Life expectancy is declining and the number of people living in grinding poverty is rising in the absence of sufficient employment.

The HIV pandemic is eroding governance and services, and undermining attempts to address social and economic challenges.

With only 10 years remaining to achieve the Goals, ministers will analyse the reasons for poor progress so far and agree on action to get back on track to meet the 2015 deadline.

Despite improving rates of economic growth in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the benefits have not so far translated into the jobs that are the key to lifting people out of poverty.

Reasons include inadequate redistribution of resources from growth achieved in low-employment sectors such as petroleum and minerals extraction and under-funding of services critical to people's health and acquisition of skills and knowledge.

The Conference of Ministers will hear arguments for policies that place greater emphasis on "pro-poor" growth - accelerated and sustained growth in sectors of the economy that can provide large-scale employment, as well as stepping up of expenditure on education and health so that populations are better able to respond to the employment market.

The meeting will end with a ministerial statement that is expected to set out a programme of workable actions and policies aimed at achieving the MDGs by 2015.

A key feature of this year's meeting will be the presentation of a joint report by the ECA and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the "Mutual Review of Development Effectiveness in the context of NEPAD" aimed at improving the effectiveness of aid.

The ministerial conference will be preceded by a preparatory experts' meeting from May 11-13 and followed by the annual gathering of the African Development Bank from 16-19 May.