G8 summit to address African initiatives

By Tomi Morris Johnson

MPN Metro Correspondent / tomij@wingcomltd.com

June 27, 2002…At an undisclosed site in Canada, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (from Ghana) and leaders from the New African Initiative (NAI) will meet with leaders from the US, England, Japan, Italy, France, Germany, Russia, and Canada (the world’s most prosperous eight nations) to discuss issues facing Africa. On the agenda will be discussions on increased aid, trade and investment. The NAI’s priority sectors initiatives include:

physical infrastructure, especially roads, railways and power systems linking neighboring countries
information and communications technology
human development, focusing on health and education, including skills development
agriculture
promoting diversification of production and exports, with a focus on market access for African exports to industrialized countries.

“Aiding Africa is not charity, it's an investment." - Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Genoa, Italy

Africa is the only continent where poverty is on the rise. Over 40% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s 659 million people live below the international poverty line of US$1 a day. Africa’s share of world trade has plummeted, accounting for less than 2%. More than 140 million young people in Africa are illiterate, and Africa is the only region where the numbers of children out of schools is rising. Life expectancy in Africa is the lowest in the world, and continues to decrease with HIV/AIDS incidence rates of more than 25 percent in some countries. More than 200 million Africans have no access to health services, and more than 250 million lack access to safe drinking water. One African in five is affected by armed conflict and the number of civilian casualties of war is higher than anywhere else in the world. http://www.g8.gc.ca/summitafrica-e.asp

Click on this link - MPN Metro Correspondent to e-mail Tomi Morris Johnson about this article, any suggestions, or other news stories of like relevance and interest to MPN viewers and subscribers. This information is the opinion of the author and, therefore, should not be construed as libelous. ©2002 WingcomLtd. All Rights Reserved.