African Leaders to Meet IMF, WB Bosses on Poverty ReductionMore than ten African heads of state will meet chief executives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to discuss how the two institutions can contribute more effectively to poverty reduction on the African continent, the official Daily News reported on Monday.The summit, scheduled to be held between February 23 to 25, is expected to be hosted by Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, drawing IMF Managing Director Horst Kohler and World Bank President James Wolfensohn, Permanent Secretary in the Tanzanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hassan Kibelloh was quoted as saying. Presidents from Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, Botswana, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Eritrea and the host Tanzania would seek ways of strengthening relations between their countries and the two international financial institutions. The debt crisis associated with the two international financial institutions and the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative would also be on the agenda. The summit is also scheduled to discuss promoting the private sector in enhancing economic growth, as well as trade policies and HIV/AIDS, according to the report. Analysts say while both the World Bank and the IMF continue to impose strict conditions on lending to poor countries, their focus has shifted towards anti-poverty projects. |
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