Family Life

07.10.09 | FL News Team

Africa is speaking up at the Group of Eight summit in Italy. African leaders want assurances that global powers will honor past pledges of aid. The G8 meetings are wrapping up today with a review of the problems being encountered by the poorest nations. World leaders in 2005 vowed to boost annual aid levels by 50-billion dollars by next year, with half of that amount meant to be given to African countries. Aid groups claim some countries have not followed through on their pledges and African leaders are voicing their concerns. Rich nations are also expected to announce spending 15-billion dollars over three years to increase agricultural investment in poor countries. It's not clear what individual nations would contribute, however it's believed the U.S., Japan and the European Union will each provide around three-billion dollars.