Agencies to debate 'Marshall Plan for Africa'

The Jubilee Debt Campaign and World Development Movement will be holding a public debate this evening on: 'Whatever happened to a Marshall Plan for Africa?' the a statement, the organisations said: 'Today is the 50th Anniversary of the London Agreement, whereby Germany's accumulated debts were drastically reduced, in order to help solve her debt crisis and underpinning the country's reconstruction and economic growth following World War II. 'Germany's debt cancellation was given largely due to the self-interest of the creditors of the West. For reasons of mutual interest the rich world must today also end the African debt crisis. With enough political will a process can be created to cancel Africa's debts to ensure that Africa too may gain prosperity. The Jubilee Debt Campaign and World Development Movement are organising a debate at Portcullis House, Westminster, on the subject of debt cancellation for Africa. Speakers include Shriti Vadera, special adviser to Gordon Brown on international development issues; Barry Coates, Director, World Development Movement; Charlotte Denny, economic correspondent, The Guardian; Charles Abugre, Director of the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC); Prof Jim Tomlinson, economic historian, Brunel University; Rev Prof Michael Taylor, former director of Christian Aid, and JDC patron (Chair) Barry Coates said: "The lessons of the post-War period have not been learnt. Comprehensive debt relief allowed Germany to reconstruct its shattered society. 50 years later, the crisis in sub-Saharan Africa demands far deeper debt cancellation than currently on offer." For more information contact: Ashok Sinha, National Co-ordinator, Jubilee Debt Campaign: 020 7922 1111; 07905 139 140 (m); e-mail: ashok@jubileedebtcampaign.org.uk ; or: Dave Timms, World Development Movement: 020 7274 7630; 07711 875 345 e-mail: dave@wdm.org.uk