The U.N. chief said Monday the world must do more to eradicate poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, where not a single country is on track to meet the goals of a global anti-poverty campaign launched in 2000.

The U.N.-sponsored Millennium Development Goals aim to cut extreme poverty in half by 2015 by ensuring elementary school education, improving health care and making a start toward reversing the AIDS pandemic.

Speaking at a U.N. conference on trade and development in Ghana’s capital, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said that though many nations are falling behind in Africa, there has been progress in some that can serve as an example.

“Senegal is making great strides toward meeting the water target. ... Niger, Togo and Zambia have made impressive progress in malaria control through the free distribution of bed nets,” Ban said.

He also commended Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda for increasing primary school enrollment.

“These success stories need to be replicated and scaled-up across Africa with effective support from the international community,” Ban said.

Sub-Saharan Africa is “most at risk” for not meeting poverty goals by 2015, he said. “Here, not a single country is on track.”

On Sunday, Ban said the world must urgently increase food production to ease skyrocketing prices and pledged to set up a task force on a crisis threatening to destabilize developing nations.

The cost of food has increased around 40 percent since mid-2007 worldwide, and the strain has led to riots or protests in countries like Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Haiti and Egypt.

Ban left Ghana for Liberia late Monday. Later in the week, he is to visit Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.