Message To G-8

[Baba Ahmed]

www.afromerica.com

PRESS STATEMENT
AFRODAD’S MESSAGE FROM THE REALITY OF AID
WORKSHOP HELD IN ABUJA, NIGERIA

ABUJA –JUNE 2005

Workshop theme: ‘Conflict, Security and Development in Africa.’
Statement to the G8 Summit

The African Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) demand total and unconditional cancellation of Africa’s debt owed to multilateral institutions. Failure to do so will compel African CSOs to mobilize their constituencies and the African Union to repudiate the debt.

The Commission for Africa realizes that one cannot separate human security from development, and therefore there is no peace and security without development. Development aid should therefore not be used to undermine permanent peace building and reconstruction as is the current practice.

African CSOs demand aid without any conditionalities attached to it, especially taking into account that more than two thirds of aid to Africa goes back to the North through overpriced technical assistance, tied aid, cumbersome and illcoordinated planning, monitoring and evaluation, excessive reporting requirements, and excessive administrative costs.

There is need for better quality and quantity of aid to Africa. According to the UNCTAD report, between 1970 and 2003, Africa borrowed USD540 billion from the West, and paid back USD550 billion, but as at the end of 2003, Africa still owed USD293 billion.