Anglican Communion News Service - Digest News

Our catchphrase at African Monitor is 'African Voices for Africa's Development' and our chief goal is to hold the G8 countries (and African governments) to their promises and pledges to halve the number of people living in poverty by 2015.

While we appreciate the importance of debt and disease relief in the suffering of Africa's poorest, the key element of success in providing sustainable livelihoods for most Africans is trade.

It has been estimated that if Africa increased its share of world exports by only 1%, it would generate $70 billion. That is about five times what our continent receives in aid.

Therefore we would like to press for the re-opening of the talks and use our influence to ensure that reason prevails.

In July this year African Monitor was mandated by African civil society organisations present at the recent Civil G8 meeting in Moscow, to co-ordinate the voice of Africa on various relevant issues, including trade. We will be seeking to consult African civil society on this and striving to co-ordinate a collective view to bring to the African Partnership Forum meeting at the end of October this year.

It is very important that we do not lose hope. In my experience it is seldom that these kinds of breakdowns are completely irrevocable. What has happened is that progress on the trade front has been temporarily slowed and we need to go back to the table to work on other approaches and alternatives.

On behalf of the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town,

Njongonkulu Ndungane

Editors Note:

Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane is the Chair of the African Monitor