The prospect could hardly be more replete with irony. But the rich and powerful are not to be blamed for all African ills, Mesfin conceded. Indeed, Ethiopia and its neighbour, Eritrea, have just ended a bitter border dispute, squandering precious resources in the war effort. Time is running out. Twenty-two per cent of the world's six billion people survive on less than one dollar a day.
Millions die from preventable disease.
Seven million children die each year as a result of the debt crisis. Without immediate and concerted action, hundreds of millions of Africans will be driven to even greater depths of human misery. Other African leaders pushed the point more aggressively. We are still stuck in problems dating back to the days of slavery and colonialism. We risk the hypocrisy of demanding the reform of national governments and institutions in developing countries, while doing nothing to reform the undemocratic structures and practices of international bodies, such as the Bretton Woods institutions and, indeed, the UN itself.