Debt cancellation for 18 poor countries unlikely to be finalized this weekend

(September 23, 2005) Global shareholders in the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) are unlikely to agree this weekend on a debt deal for 18 of the world’s poorest countries, the lending institutions’ heads said Thursday as wealthy nations bickered over who would pay for the effort.

Debt deal in question

(September 22, 2005) Arbitrary criteria have been used to exclude most countries from debt relief. While it may be politically expedient for powerful countries to pretend that only a small set of countries need debt cancellation, it is time to explode this myth." – Christian Aid.

A big idea for aiding Africa – think small

(September 21, 2005) In the lead up to the annual meetings of the World Bank this weekend in Washington, where Africa will be high on the agenda, economist Korinna Horta and Lori Pottinger of the International Rivers Network Africa program claim the bank’s plan to pursue investment in large-scale infrastructure projects for the continent needs rethinking, based on the failure of past mega-projects in Africa, such as the corruption plagued Lesotho Highlands Water Project.