World Economic Forum updates: Africa is an emergency

[Guest guest]

Members,

I stayed up late to watch on TV the discussions about poverty in

Africa and HIV/Aids. Below is what transpired...

Chifu

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Africa is an emergency that business and society must meet together –

G8 President and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, presidents of

South Africa, Thabo Mbeki and of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, former

President Clinton, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and U2's Bono

agreed at the Annual Meeting that until Africa's needs are seen as

an emergency, the Continent will not receive the required critical

mass of resources and support.

" I don't think 6,000 people dying every day from aids is a cause;

it's an emergency, " Bono told almost 2,000 business, cultural,

religious and political leaders in Davos. " And 3,000 people dying

every day from a mosquito bite is not a cause; it's an emergency. "

Public-private partnerships that tap into popular support witnessed

in the aftermath of the tsunami in South-East Asia, noted Clinton,

will do much to tackle the " similar tsunamis " taking place in

Africa. " It is ironic that at a time when science is advancing,

we've allowed the AIDS epidemic to get out of control…and malaria to

come back, " said Gates.

Presidents Mbeki and Obasanjo prioritized peace and stability as key

to development. Good governance would see more " bankable " projects

submitted to international businesses, Mbeki stressed.

" We have the ability in Africa, and we are asking for the heart in

government, in the private sector and civil society, " concluded

Obasanjo.

http://www.weforum.org/site/homepublic.nsf/Content/Annual+Meeting+200

5#6

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