It is but 18 months away from the G8′s self-imposed deadline for promises pledged to aid Africa but only $7 billion out of the $21.5 billion in aid, promised at the Gleneagles summit in 2005, have actually been delivered. This means that a paltry one-third of the total pledges made by the G8 group of industrialized countries has actually benefited sub-Saharan Africa.

The audit report states that the collective G8 assessment appears to be ‘grim,’ with ‘exceptionally poor progress’ made by both Nicolas Sarkozy’s France and Silvio Berlusconi’s Italy. These two countries are blamed for 80 percent of the shortage in aid pledges by the group of rich countries.

While the global recession is to blame for the financial crisis that has hit even the richest countries, the Africa Progress Panel whose members include Kofi Annan and Graça Machel reminds those who have pledged aid to Africa that the recession is a more crucial time to assist ‘those most in need.’

The food and fuel crises have been devastating the African continent for at least the past two years. African exports are hard-hit by the recession. ‘African growth, which was forecast at 6.7 percent for 2009, has been slashed to 1.7 percent.’

On the other hand, Germany has expanded its assistance to Africa. Britain is praised as ‘the first G8 country to meet the UN goal of spending 0.7 per cent of national income in overseas development assistance.’ Aid spending has benefited treatment of close to three million people in the immediate medical concern of mortality from malaria. Foreign aid has also brought ‘34 million more children to school.’

Via The Independent