Africa Action: Campaign to Cancel Africa's Debt

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Campaign to Stop Genocide in Darfur

Campaign to End HIV/AIDS in Africa

Campaign to Cancel Africa's Debt

Africa Action Student Network

Religious Action Network

Campaign to Cancel Africa's Debt

Africa's over $200 billion debt burden is the single biggest obstacle to the continent's development. Most of this debt is illegitimate, having been incurred by despotic and unrepresentative regimes. African countries spend almost $14 billion annually on debt service, diverting resources from HIV/AIDS programs, education and other important needs. The U.S. and other rich countries have resisted calls to cancel this debt, instead proposing partial solutions that are inadequate and impose harsh economic policies on indebted countries. Africa Action’s Campaign to Cancel Africa’s Debt mobilizes pressure on the U.S. government to push for 100% debt cancellation for all impoverished African countries without harmful conditions. more >

What's New

Request for Civil Society Participation in IMF Study on FTT
November 12, 2009
"Today Africa Action and civil society partners delivered a letter to Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, regarding financial transactions taxes (FTT). Click here to read the letter and learn more about FTT..." Go >

Annual Fall Meetings Begin: Criticism Continues to Mount Towards World Bank/IMF Policies
October 6, 2009
"This week Istanbul, Turkey is hosting the IMF/World Bank Annual Fall 2009 meetings. In addition to the protests in Istanbul, Africa Action highlights the 5th Annual Southern Africa Social Forum (SASF), which begins in Maseru, Lesotho. Africa Action calls for IMF reform and greater civil society participation poverty reduction strategies..." Go >

IMF Lending at a Glance
October 1, 2009
"The IMF has stepped up lending in response to the global economic crisis. Click here for a quick overview of the IMF's current lending arrangements. Click on a balloon to display more information about a particular loan program...." Go >

Tickets on Sale Today: Just Words Benefit Concert for Peace and Justice in Africa
September 17, 2009
"The Africa Action benefit concert, Just Words for Peace and Justice in Africa, will feature the 2008 Wammie Award Winners from The Washington Area Music Association Chopteeth, other local favorites including John Stone Reggae & Regg'go, as well as some of the best socially conscious poets, spoken word and hip-hop artists in the nation. Click here to see the poster [PDF]..." Go >

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	Sub-Saharan Africa receives $10 billion in aid but loses $14 billion in debt payments per year.
	In Burundi, elimination of education fees in 2005 allowed an additional 300,000 children to attend school.
	While more than 80 million Nigerians live on less than $1 per day, in 2005 Nigeria agreed to pay over $12 billion to the Paris Club of creditors in exchange for partial debt cancellation.
	In 2003, Zambia spent twice as much on debt repayments as on health care. But partial debt cancellation allowed the government to grant free basic healthcare to its population in 2006.


	“Must we starve our children to pay our debts?” *Julius Nyerere*, former president of Tanzania
	“The debt is a new form of slavery, as vicious as the slave trade.” *All Africa Conference of Churches*
	“Debt is tearing down schools, clinics and hospitals. The effects are no less devastating than war.” *Adebayo Adedeji*, African Center for Development Strategy, Nigeria


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