Istanbul: Africa's poorest nations on Sunday demanded representation within the Group of 20 (G20) developed and emerging economies, which was turned into the world's main economic policy forum last week.
"There has to be at least one seat for nearly a
billion Africans who need to be heard," Cameroonian Finance
Minister Lazare Essimu Menye told reporters ahead of annual
meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
"Our partners have to accept that we are best placed
to explain to them what would be best for Africa," he said at
a press conference in Istanbul.
Asked if South Africa, a member of the G20, could
represent Africa, Menye rejected the idea and said: "South
Africa defends its own economy."
Nigerien Finance Minister Ali Lamine Zeine said:
"Since our fate is being discussed it's important to us that
our opinions be taken into account."
Senegalese Finance Minister Abdoulaye Diop said the
G20 could not "continue to ignore hundreds of millions of
Africans."
The ministers are all members of the Heavily
Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) group, which includes 35
countries that are negotiating with the International
Monetary Fund to reduce their foreign debt burden.
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, October 04, 2009, 21:56