Brown makes case for African aid reform

Gordon Brown has called for rich countries to fulfil promises made to the people of Africa on reducing poverty.

Concluding his tour of Africa on Monday with a major speech at a meeting of the prime minister's commission on the future of the continent, the chancellor said "justice promised will forever be justice denied" unless the West steps up its efforts.

He said a timetable must be set for targets to be reached if world leaders' words are to be put into action.

At present rates UN's Millennium Development Goals of educating 100 million more children and of halving poverty by 2015 will not be met until 2130 and 2150 respectively, he reported.

"African people know that it has been necessary to be patient, but 150 years is too long to ask any peoples to wait for justice," Brown said.

"Justice promised will forever be justice denied unless we remove from this generation the burden of debt incurred by past generations."

In the past week the chancellor has taken in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique as well as South Africa, where he delivered his address before returning to the UK.

Over the weekend he held talks with president Thabo Mbeki and former president Nelson Mandela, who he persuaded to come to London for a meeting of G8 finance ministers next month.

Brown stressed the need for debt relief and trade reform in his speech, as well as increasing conventional overseas aid.

G8 presidency

With Britain holding the presidency of the G8 group of industrialised nations this year the government is in a strong position to advance its case for massive assistance to help Africa tackle what the chancellor has described as "endemic" poverty and disease.

Tony Blair's Commission for Africa is leading the work in persuading other western governments to break down trade barriers and increase aid to ensure that the UN's millennium development goals for the continent are met.

Ahead of his trip Brown, who chairs the finance committee of the commission, said aid will have to be raised by half a trillion dollars if poverty reduction targets are to be met.

With 18 finance and trade ministers from the continent attending the meeting in Cape Town, the chancellor also had a chance to discuss his planned international finance facility for developing countries, which would raise money on markets through the sale of bonds.

On Saturday Brown also announced that Britain is to take on 10 per cent of Tanzania's national debt and made the offer to the other 70 poorest countries which is prepared to put the money into tackling poverty.

The move will cost the UK anything between .2 billion and billion between now and 2015.

"What we offer to Tanzania today we now offer to the whole developing world tomorrow," Brown said.

"So in Africa, Asia and Latin America we make this offer not just to the 37 heavily indebted poor countries, but to all low income countries as long as they can ensure debt relief is used for poverty reduction."