World Bank pres to focus on Africa

(Source Article: A message from Africa for the G8 - WB news)

Paul Wolfowitz said today that he plans to make the impoverished continent his priority in the coming years, while hailing Africa as being full of opportunities. He traveled to the G8 summit this weekend to address the leaders of the world’s richest nations about Africa’s need for aid, particularly towards education and economic infrastructure.

Africa continues to impress Wolfowitz, with 15 countries on the continent reporting at least 4 percent growth for the past 10 years. He cited Rwanda as an example of an African country that can do much with the right help: after suffering terribly from a genocide, the country rose from that disaster and has seen continued improvement in its economy. (see Wolfowitz: Africa is my priority – CNN)

Wolfowitz says that infrastructure is the primary obstacle in the way of Africa’s continued improvement, particularly regional infrastructure that can improve access on the continent to the ports of other countries. However, the World Bank president doesn’t believe this can be achieved unless more funding is sent to the continent.