Friday, June 08, 2007

In other Africa news...

At the G8 in Heiligendamm this week, they have pledged 60 Billion Dollars (44 Billion Euros) in aid to Africa, primarily to fight AIDS, hunger and tuberculosis. The U.S. has promised to carry most of that financial burden (30 Billion USD), with the rest divided among the other 7 nations.

I think it's great that we are supporting Africa, but where are we going to get the money? It is ethically problematic to promise money that we will not or cannot give.

60 Billion is probably also just a drop in the bucket compared to what is needed to help stem the tide of AIDS, hunger, poverty, war, and tuberculosis plaguing much of the continent.

And is this what leaders in African countries, or what the people in those countries, really feel will provide help and relief from the burdens they carry?

1 comment:

texasinafrica said...

I'm hopeful that they will follow through on the commitments. When you're talking about poverty and disease on such a massive scale, $60B isn't nearly enough, but it's a step.

As for your other question, the money's not really geared towards leaders or towards solving political problems. It's rather geared towards those engaged in medical and humanitarian work. In their cases, I think the answer would be an emphatic "yes." $60B is a lot of ARV's.