Gates 'optimistic' about Africa

2005-01-27 15:07

Davos - Rock star and anti-poverty campaigner, Bono, and computer billionaire Bill Gates, united with British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Thursday to warn that 2005 must be a turning point for poverty in Africa.

Bono emphasised that leaders of the Group of Eight industralised countries were carrying the hopes of a generation, as Blair reiterated pledges to implement massive financial help for Africa this year.

"This can be described as an adventure, it cannot be described as these eight leaders carrying a rock. Our generation wants to be remembered for something," the U2 band leader told journalists at the World Economic Forum.

"Our generation wants to be remembered for something other than the war against terror."

"We actually want to perhaps be the generation that's remembered for ending extreme poverty. Extreme poverty is what I call stupid poverty," he added as the three joined the South African President Thabo Mbeki, Nigeria's Olesegun Obasanjo and former United States President Bill Clinton in a debate on the issue.

No bleeding hearts

Amid reminders that one billion Africans were living on less than one dollar a year, Britain pledged £45m for bednets to protect millions of Africans from the debilitating and deadly mosquito-borne disease malaria.

"It's not the usual bleeding heart debate going on here," Bono said, warning of the danger that some of Africa's poverty and conflict-ridden states could turn into destablising hotbeds of extremism.

"I said how dangerous it is to leave Africa in this state, there are 10 or 12 potential Afghanistans there," he added.

Gates and Bono praised efforts by the G8 - which is led by Britain in 2005 - to finance more aid, trade and health care for Africa in recent years.

"I'm very optimistic about what will happen, but I agree it will be a turning point this year," Gates told journalists.

Aid needed to be doubled, rich countries still had to open up to their markets to trade from Africa, and much of the debt relief effort had to be completed by the end of the year, Bono warned.

- AFP