(July 6, 2005) Writing off Africa’s debt, boosting aid and improving trade conditions are not enough to bring the continent out of poverty, Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai has said.
G8 debt relief proposal: preliminary estimates and issues
(July 6, 2005) A presentation based on a leaked report by World Bank senior officials Geoffrey Lamb and Danny Leipziger claiming the G-8 debt relief proposal for poor countries, most of which are African, lacks sufficient compensation to the World Bank’s low-interest lending arm most affected by the debt relief plan, has now been posted to the Odious Debts Web site.
African firms back corruption war
(July 5, 2005) African business leaders are urging world leaders to help them fight corruption in their home countries, reports Jorn Madslien for the UK’s BBC News.
Nigeria wins debt relief
(July 5, 2005) The Paris Club of rich nation lenders has agreed in principle to a debt relief package for Nigeria. The club of 19 member nations is expected to write off about $18 billion of Nigeria’s $35 billion debt and Nigeria plans to buy back its remaining loans using funds from a windfall in oil revenues.
Odious debts and criminal debts
(July 5, 2005) In the leadup to the Live 8 rock concerts around the world calling on western governments to forgive loans to developing countries, The Law Report, an Australian-based radio program on lawmakers and lawbreakers, asked: “What if the catch cry wasn’t ‘forgive poor debtors,’ but instead, ‘punish bad lenders’?
Nigeria gets $20 billion debt pardon
(July 4, 2005) Forty percent buy back option; President Obasanjo blames debt on criminal corruption.
Corruption’s take: $148B
(July 4, 2005) By the African Union’s own estimate, Africa loses as much as US$148-billion a year to corruption, reports Peter Goodspeed in a three-part series on Africa for Canada’s National Post.
Saviour Blair makes African professionals wince
(July 4, 2005) No to Begging! No to Foreign Aid!
Nigeria’s debt relief: a news analysis
(July 3, 2005) Nigeria’s tortuous road to debt relief: the Tony Blair factor.
The failure of altruism
(July 2, 2005) Well-intentioned efforts have failed to improve life for most Africans.
Sweet victory ahead on debt relief?
(June 2, 2005) The 10-year battle to wipe out the debt burden of the world’s most impoverished nations is reaching a climax.
Nigeria happy about debt relief but battles loom
(July 1, 2005) Nigeria’s government is euphoric after securing debt relief from its biggest creditors, but the pressure is on to produce benefits for a skeptical population used to seeing the nation’s wealth squandered and stolen.
How kleptocracy kept the people poor
(July 1, 2005) Nigeria is widely seen as having the greatest natural resources on the African continent and the most potential for development. After two generations of misrule, it is desperate for a new start.
Loan corruption control
(July 1, 2005) Corruption is a worldwide industry. What Lesotho has done is show that something can indeed be done about it. All that is required is not merely token, but real resolve. – Guido Penzhorn.
Sub-Saharan debt: the imperative of contract adjustment
(July 1, 2005) Debtor perspectives lack the scholarly attention needed to inform theories, policy and strategies on debt management and illuminate the socio-economic dynamics that keep Third World economies unsustainable.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
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