DAKAR - An African summit to raise funds for an ambitious new economic revival plan opened yesterday without its anticipated fanfare when three of the project's main architects failed to show up.
The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) aims to propel the poorest continent from the margins of the global economy through massive investments from richer countries, which would be linked to democracy and good governance on the part of the recipient states.
The meeting in the West African country of Senegal is to court business support and discuss financing for the plan, which is estimated to need US$64-billion a year -- more than four times the amount of aid to Africa in 1999 and seven times that of direct foreign investment.
But the leaders of South Africa, the continent's biggest economy, and Nigeria, its most populous nation, did not travel to the meeting. Algeria's President, another driving force behind NEPAD, also failed to attend.
Only 12 heads of state from Africa's 54 nations made the trip to Senegal's capital, although more than 1,000 businessmen from all over the globe, representing corporate giants such as Exxon Mobil, Microsoft, Coca-Cola and Unilever, attended.
"There are many other heads of state. It will be a good occasion to see what kind of business we can do in their respective countries," said Frank Savage of the U.S. Corporate Council for Africa, a group promoting business ties.
There was no official explanation from the office of Abdoulaye Wade, the Senegalese President, for the absent heavyweights, but conference sources said Thabo Mbeki, the South African President, was working on a peace deal for the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Olusegun Obasanjo, the Nigerian President, who had been due to open the conference yesterday, was occupied at home with a visit by Jiang Zemin, the Chinese President.
Gabon's President, Omar Bongo, in power for 35 years, got proceedings underway and handed over to another old hand, Daniel arap Moi, President of Kenya.
"Africa needs a homegrown approach and NEPAD represents the vision of all of us to put our countries on the path of progress of sustainable growth," the Kenyan leader said. "We are concerned that despite our efforts, Africa is still seen by investors as a risky destination," he said, adding African countries needed private sector help to develop.
As well as discussing projects for telecommunications, roads, energy and agriculture, the meeting will serve to prepare proposals for a Group of Eight summit in Kananaskis, Alta., in June.
The G8, the world's main industrialized countries plus Russia, has given moral support to the plan and will discuss in June what they can do to ensure it meets with more success than failed Africa-wide development schemes of the past.
In return for their support, rich countries expect African countries to make good on promises of greater respect for democracy, human rights and the fight against corruption. Western countries have welcomed Nigerian and South African backing for Commonwealth sanctions against Zimbabwe, after elections that were widely condemned as fraudulent, as an example of the kind of peer pressure needed to back the plan.
A full summit of African heads of state is due to be held tomorrow in Dakar.
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