In December a meeting of campaigners in Dakar, Senegal assessed Africa’s debt crisis and the human effects of structural adjustment.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Infrastructure
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Kenya faces new aid embargo
In January the IMF and World Bank threatened to cut off Kenya from more than $450 million in aid as a result of a parliamentary bill on interest rate controls.
News
Africa Partnership
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair is also promoting an “Africa Partnership Initiative”.
Environment
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Chadian president spends pipeline windfall on arms
In June the World Bank agreed to back the Chad Cameroon oil pipeline, despite serious reservations from civil society groups in Chad and around the world.
Conditionality
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US rejects user fees
The US government has been forced to adopt legislation requiring it to oppose IMF and WB loans, which contain conditions for the imposition of user fees for primary education or primary health care.
Conditionality
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Tanzanian NGOs criticise PRSP
The Government of Tanzania’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) was endorsed by the IMF and WB Boards in early December despite claims from Tanzanian NGOs that the consultative process was inadequate.
Conditionality
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Reflections on Kenyan PRSP process
NGOs in Kenya are highly critical that the Poverty Reduction Strategy process did not fully involve NGOs, was dominated by the Bank and IMF and was not poverty focussed.
Infrastructure
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Ugandan dam concerns
Ugandan and international NGOs have written to the head of the IFC to raise concerns about its planned support for the Bujagali Falls dam.
Conditionality
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Nigerian union takes IMF and Bank to court
In October, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) asked the High Court in Lagos to declare as illegal, pressures by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on President Olusegun Obasanjo to implement their economic policies on Nigerians.
Environment
News
Chad-Cameroon mechanism contested
Civil society groups have provided detailed comments to the World Bank on the proposed International Advisory Group which is supposed to monitor implementation of the Chad-Cameroon Pipeline.
Rights
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Chad-Cameroon latest
The World Bank Board approved the Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline project in early June.
Social services
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Bank announces major AIDS funding
The World Bank announced in early July that it is to make available $500 million in loans to help countries combat the growing threat of AIDS.