Africa 'top of Blair's agenda'
2006-06-27 14:37
Cape Town - Anglican archbishop of Cape Town Njongonkulu Ndungane has welcomed British prime minister Tony Blair's announcement of a panel of world leaders to ensure aid and debt relief promises to Africa are being kept.
"We deeply appreciate Tony Blair's commitment to keep Africa and issues affecting Africa on top of his agenda," he said in a media statement on Tuesday.
Blair announced on Monday that he was convening a panel to measure progress against the commitments made to and by Africa at the Gleneagles and other G8 and United Nations summits, towards the achievement of the millennium development goals.
UN secretary-general Kofi Annan will chair the panel and Bob Geldof and President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria will be two of the panellists.
Ndungane chairs the board of the African Monitor, a civil society organisation he launched in May to monitor aid and development.
He said on Tuesday that it was "critically important" that voices from all over Africa were included in the monitoring process, and that African Monitor looked forward to working together with the new panel.
He also welcomed Blair's request for an additional session on Africa at the coming G8 meeting.
"We fully endorse Blair's statement: 'I have seen that if there is real commitment by African governments to progress, then their people will do the rest'.
"African Monitor aims to help people 'do the rest'," Ndungane said.
- SAPA