Africa Owed R188bn in Aid

Representatives of leading aid organisations have demanded that G8 countries, and in particular G8 summit host Italy, take urgent action to make up a R188 billion shortfall in aid promised to Africa.

Head of the international aid agency Oxfam's Italian office, Farida Bena has called on G8 leaders to come up with what she calls “an emergency programme”. Bena says that US$23 billion is not a lot of money compared to what has been spent bailing out the banks.

The demands come amid concerns that many of the governments in the Group of Eight industrialised nations have not fully honoured the declaration they signed at their 2005 summit to send an extra US$50 billion in aid to the world's poorest continent by 2010.

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