It is heart warming and encouraging to read about the meeting between the UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown with some African leaders ahead of the G20 meeting, with the aim of addressing the current global crisis and its effects and challenges on the African continent.
The meeting, according to Prime Minister Gordon Brown's spokesperson, will be attended by Tanzania, Liberia, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria. With the participation of these countries, the rest of Africa may look forward to frank and fruitful discussions of issues that could affect all African countries, whether in attendance or not.
The economic downturn across the world has raised concerns that rich nations will be less willing to boost aid to poorer countries, but the planned meeting goes to show to what extent Africa is part of the global family and hence cannot be left behind.
"It is not possible to stimulate the world economy while ignoring the millions of the poor in Africa, South Asia and other places," states the President of the African Development Bank, Donald Kaberuka. Of course the ADB president's statement speaks volumes about the world economic order, including international trade, economic interdependence, and Africa as a source of much of the world's resources. Africa indeed has to be a part of the equation in any economic arrangement; the question is how much it makes of it.
"Money Speaks Sense in a Language all Nations Understand"
By BEHN Aphra
