World News
July 11, 2001
African leaders have again been challenged by the World Bank to pay priority attention to HIV/AIDS preventive activities and policies, the Guardian (Nigeria) reports.
The Bank, which also noted that violence against girls and women between 15 and 44 years lead to more deaths and disability than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and even war, said only governments have the means and mandate to finance the public goods necessary for the monitoring and control of HIV/AIDS pandemic.
"Governments also have the unique responsibility to intervene in order to reduce the negative externalities of high-risk behavior, while preventing discrimination that would inhibit behavioural change," the Bank noted in a publication titled "Partnership for Development 2001."
It further explained that the experience of the developed countries in the last two decades in the area of AIDS control, was an indication that more could be achieved by developing nations through behavioral change and access to HIV preventive programs.
The publication called for massive collaboration between governments and the public, and noted that "governments can most times expand their effectiveness by involving the private sector, reputable non-governmental organizations and decentralized community bodies in the design and implementation of high-priority HIV/AIDS prevention activities.
Meanwhile, This Day (Nigeria) reports the International Development Association (IDA), an arm of the World Bank, has approved $90.3 million for the Federal Government's three-year HIV /AIDS Emergency Action Plan.
The loan, according to a statement by the World Bank at the weekend, is meant to reduce the spread of the disease and mitigate the impact of HIV infection as well as preparing a large-scale response to the pandemic which has been on the increase in the country since the first AIDS case was diagnosed in Nigeria in 1986. The money would also assist in laying the foundation for step up HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment services at the federal, state and local levels.
In other news, Reuters reports that Nigeria has asked the Paris Club to extend the deadline for reaching bilateral agreements with the club's 15 members to November 30, the head of the Debt Management Office (DMO) said Monday. DMO Director-General Akin Arikawe said Nigeria had completed draft agreements with Germany and Switzerland that are awaiting approval by governments on both sides and is in various stages of negotiation with 10 other member countries.
Negotiations with Japan and Italy have yet to begin because the governments are still trying to reconcile their figures and determine what qualifies as debt, Arikawe said. After reconciling its debt data with Brazil, Nigeria has found it does not owe any debt to the Brazilian government, he noted.
"Over the next few months, between now and November we hope to complete all the agreements," Arikawe said. The original deadline for the bilateral agreements was June 30. Once the DMO has negotiated with each member country it can approach the Paris Club to reschedule its debt. Nigeria owes external debt of $28.5 billion according to the latest government figures, $22.2 billion of which is owed to the Paris Club.
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