New and old loans in Africa - what role for Parliamentarians? - A Report
Author: AFRODAD
Some 30 parliamentarians and civil society representatives from Africa and Europe – amongst them15 Members of Parliaments – met in Accra last 7 and 8 December to discuss the theme of “New and old loans in Africa – What role for parliamentarians in Africa and Europeâ€. This conference was part of a series of dialogues started on October 2005 organised by AFRODAD and EURODAD to discuss the crucial role that parliamentarians have – or should have - in debt management and loan contraction in Africa. This time, participation was expanded to European MPs and NGO representatives to bring together the two sides of the coin, both borrowers and lenders, given the role of both parties in ensuring more responsible development finance.
The conference assessed the current situation regarding Africa, debt and the wider development crisis and suggested a vision to work towards, that is, a more accountable international system for development finance. Participants expressed the challenges they expected to lay ahead and generated recommendations regarding rule changes around the parliamentary system in both Africa and the West.
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