Africa in urgent appeal for funds to fight bird flu

[XXPANTHAXX]

West African government ministers and experts seeking ways to contain
the deadly bird flu Thursday launched an appeal to international donors
urgently to help fund preventive measures and fight the virus.

"We launch ... an appeal to the international community for the urgent
contribution" of funds, according to an official statement released at
the end of a two-day emergency conference in Dakar.

"The needs and use of these funds will be defined by a committee of
experts charged with outlining the sub-regional mechanism for the
prevention and fight" against the disease, said Senegal's Health
Minister Cheikh Fadibou Fall.

The Dakar conference recommended the creation of a sub-regional
structure able to prevent the disease and to react.

Bird flu first hit Africa two weeks ago when it was discovered in
poultry in Nigeria. It has since spread to seven of Nigeria's 36 states.

To install the regional mechanism, the delegates agreed immediately to
set up a steering committee made up of a representative of each country
and a group of experts to advise on the structures and procedures.

This group to be chaired by Senegal "will have to meet before the end of
March" and to submit a report to the regional ministers at a follow up
meeting scheduled for Abuja in April, said the statement.

The requested funds would be channelled through the African Development
Bank (AfDB) headquartered in Tunisia.

The meeting was convened at the behest of Senegalese President Abdoulaye
Wade under the aegis of the 15-member Economic Community of the West
Africa States, with Mauritania, a former ECOWAS member, also attending.

"We tried to give very strong emphasis on regional coordination ...in
the fight against a serious threat to our economies and our people,"
said Gandega Sileye, Mauritania's Rural Development and Environment
Minister.

"The avian flu represents a serious threat in the fight against poverty
and economic growth in several countries that draw a significant part of
their income from livestock breeding," said ECOWAS is a statement at
the end of the conference.

"Whatever the severity of preventive measures taken by each country, the
threat persists," warned Senegal's Prime Minister Macky Fall, adding "the
scourge is continuously progressing on a global level."

"Only joint action can secure us against the disease, the political
goodwill remaining the best pledge of success against such a plague," he
said.

Wade called the meeting with a desire to see the setting up of regional
structures to coordinate activities in the battle against the disease,
which has claimed the lives of 92 people, mainly in east Asia, over the
past three years.

Africa is considered to be particularly vulnerable to the virus because
of poor health infrastructure and weakened immune systems in much of the
population, due to malnourishment and the AIDS pandemic.

The Dakar appeal was penned by ministers and senior representatives of
Benin, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali,
Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo.

[CreatorsCollege]

Uhm, how 'bout they kill the beg-a-thon and put a charge on the multi-national companies, and make 'em pay what they weigh!

Africa has the resources to pay for its development, these beggin' a@s gov'ts are pimpin' the "poor Africa" syndrome and I for one am over it.

Either nationalize your resources, set your own market-prices, and confiscate yte-interests in Africa and go for it, or die a coward's death!

This is game. These crooked-assed "leaders" have enough fake-money in foreign banks to foot the bill. It's past-time to call them out!

Peace!