Mariam Isa
12 March 2009
Dar es Salaam — THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) will act to ensure developed countries keep financial pledges to Africa as the global downturn deepens, even though the continent is likely to avoid a deep recession.
IMF MD Dominique Strauss-Kahn told a conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the institution was reforming its policies to give poor countries better access to credit, and more influence over its decisions.
"I think the bottom line is clear, we need to act and we need to act now -- it's time to keep promises.
"The period where the IMF was mostly concerned about fiscal deficits, and thought that one size fits all, is now behind us. The world has changed," he said yesterday.
African policy makers at the conference, organised by the IMF and Tanzania, said they would demand that Group of Twenty (G-20) leaders meeting in London next month keep their promises to deliver scaled-up aid to the continent.
"Private external finance is frozen. And there is little room to raise more domestic revenue," said United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Ashe-Rose Migiro.
"Unless there is a genuine effort to deliver on existing commitments ... further instability and human suffering could result," she said in a keynote address to delegates at the conference yesterday. Migiro said there was no need for more aid beyond the $62bn which the Group of Eight developed countries had promised to lend to Africa by 2010.
African leaders fear these pledges will be forgotten as developed countries pump billions of dollars into their own economies in a bid to lift them out of the deepening recession.
Strauss-Kahn said earlier this week the IMF expected world economic growth to shrink this year. This could curb Africa's pace of expansion to below an estimated 3%, already half an earlier forecast of 6%.
"Our idea is that the (global) situation is deteriorating rather rapidly. But I don't believe there is a strong risk of recession for African countries," he said yesterday.
"It's time for the IMF to adapt to this new era and develop with Africa," Strauss-Kahn told the IMF conference. "The model has changed."
While the IMF may revise lower its 3,3% economic growth forecast for sub-Saharan Africa, there is not a risk of a "strong recession" on the continent this year, though per capita income growth may stagnate, Strauss-Kahn said.
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel said that parts of SA's economy were taking a lot of stress, and "we are seeing very big job losses". But he said the government would not "prop up" industries that should not exist.
Manuel, who is due to attend a meeting of G-20 finance ministers this weekend, said he would take a bold stand on behalf of African countries.
"I don't believe we should go to the G-20 as petitioners.
"I believe we should engage quite differently, as decision makers understanding what is wrong in the world," he said.
Manuel also took the IMF to task for its lack of diversity. "We need a club that allows us to speak with a single voice. We don't need to be shy or reticent about issues being raised. Power is still vested in the north."
Strauss-Kahn said that as far as he was concerned the tradition of having a European at the helm of the IMF and an American at the World Bank was "something from the past" but it was not up to him to choose a successor.
"It's time for the IMF to adapt to this new era ... it's certainly time for developed countries to be less arrogant," he said. "The crisis has led to the understanding that markets have to be regulated and supervised."
IMF officials said that over the next few weeks, the fund would discuss a range of proposals to make larger amounts of money available more quickly to poor countries.
It aims to double its low-cost lending capacity to $11bn over five years period from $5bn now.
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thank you very much I want to share with you for this isues Tanzania we need more support from the part the world countries , and we thank s our President Jakaya Mlisho Kikwete for the morden of Management we promes our President to pray to God for them
Pastor Eliah Mauza p.o.box 3204 Dodoma Tanzania www.pmciministries.8mnet
" ... we need more support from the part the world countries .."
"support"? IMF, World Bank, EU countries and USA smile in predatory appreciation.
Where does that cop-out come from?
Do Africans need "support" from the predators who critically depend on Africa's resources and markets and desperately want Africans and wealthy Africa bound to them in dependent victimization?
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What "support" would a predator accord its victims? Would an gun-totting antelope-hunter assist the antelopes in developing their bullet-proof wear? Would a lion support the zebra in developing nail-studded hoofs or skins that are resistant to puncture from, say, fangs?
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"Support"? Not really. That is NOT the consensus among informed Africans. It was NOT even during the times of our founding fathers Nkrumah, Lumumba, Nasser, etc. And it was NOT the idea during the times of our valiant King Shaka, Lobengula nor our queens Cleopatra, Nzingha, Nehanda, etc.
.
Africa is the richest continent in resources.
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Africa needs to assert its rights to its resources vigorously. And no African country acting singly can withstand the coercive, murderous might of the white EU/USA hegemony. Behold the daily slaughter of the natives in Nigeria and Congo who dare claim a share of their birthright. .
For instance: Consider the wealth shipped out of Nigeria in one day, say today, in crude oil, timber, rubber, etc.
(For instance - just to get you started:
Over 2,000,000 barrels of crude oil shipped out of Nigeria EVERY DAY.
What is the going price per barrel?
Take $11 to $15 as the break-even point.
Equipment/installations paid for in 3 years. etc.
Administrative costs: Nigeria here - so take Nigeria's rates - say, less than 1% of revenue.
Foreign stakeholders? Nigeria is not here to provide foreigners with a living. Now, it gets interesting: Suppose the stakeholders in the companies shipping resources out of Nigeria/Africa were millions of Nigeria's or Africa's natives! Who needs IMF? World Bank? Now, who cries out for "support" - EU or Nigeria/Africa?)
The consider the taxes paid to Nigeria by the foreign companies.
Then consider the profits that those companies make compared to the starvation (slave labour) wages paid by the companies to the Nigerian workers.
To round it off, consider the taxes paid by the companies to their foreign governments. For the oil companies, the tax rates to foreign states on windfall profits range from 40% to over 80% ! And we are talking about billions of dollars! [Tax revenue in hundreds of billions of dollars! Gosh, they would kill god for much less! Do you see why the western governments go for destabilization and "regime change" in oil-rich countries of Africa, South America and the Middle East?]
Lifeway Ministries Churches International .. Take a Missions Team Church planting - Tanzania prepare for Conference of the Pastors and wifes in Dodoma then we have the trip for church planting in Tanzania , this mission team we begain /planing from 6 to 9Augost 2009 we have 5 areas strong for church planting , 1]prepare for Conference of the Pastors and wifes in Dodoma 2] in kiteto Manyara Region mission , to preach and teaching the gospel and to complete the church Building there 3] Haydom Manyara Region , this ares were going to preach the gospel and we plan to plant the church two new Branches there, 4] in Singida Region we have 3 church Branches there and were doing to plant other two new church branches 5] Dodoma villages /District we plan to plant 2 new church Branches
this is our plan for the Tanzania Mission so we wait from you to make Deferent thank you and your welcome you and your Mission partners
in this area we pray God to give us the Mission Partners and the Missionaries from any where to work together this the work of God here in Tanzania, in this area we need clean water, cloth for orphanages ,food for poor people in this mission, the new church Buildings even small Buildings , we need support for farmers Projects. pray for this thank you and may God bless you
Senior Pastor Eliah Ester Mauza Pentecostal Mission Churches of Tanzania P.o.box 3204 Dodoma Tanzania
Lifeway Ministries churches International P.o.box 3204 Dodoma 25526Tanzania +255-753-599648 www.pmciministries.8m.net
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