Africa worst hit by failed aid promises – new figures reveal

London – Africa advocacy group ONE today responded to new projections for 2010 aid spending from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) saying the interim figures presented a worrying mixed bag, especially for Africa.
According to the OECD, Africa is likely to get only about US$12bn of the US$25bn annual aid increase envisaged at the Gleneagles Summit in 2005. The main culprits singled out as responsible for the deficit are France, Germany and Italy; the UK, Scandinavian and Benelux countries are the top performers.
“African countries have been buffeted by the global economic crisis and need smart, well targeted aid more than ever,” said ONE’s Europe Director Oliver Buston.
“The dismal performance of Italy, France, and more recently Germany is undermining hard work by others.  The fact that some donor countries are honouring their commitments shows it can and must be done.
“These are not just abstract promises,” Buston said. “Over the past decade in Africa, effective aid and debt relief have helped put 42 million children into school and more than three million people onto AIDS treatment. Failure to scale up these programmes can be measured in lost opportunities for children and lost lives from diseases that are preventable and treatable.”
The UK is among the group of good performers in the 2010 projections. It has surpassed the promise by EU countries to spend 0.51% of Gross National Income on development assistance by this year, and is keeping its commitment to Africa. The USA has greatly exceeded its more modest promise. Canada has also met its pledge.
In May 2010, ONE will publish its annual ‘DATA Report’, a comprehensive report card on progress made by the G8 countries on all the Gleneagles commitments to Africa.  The report’s analysis of aid figures removes debt relief to give a more accurate view of progress against promises.