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Press Release

3 October 2005

Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for International DevelopmentUK to give £200 million to new World Bank Fund for Africa

The UK is to give £200 million to a new World Bank 'catalytic' fund, designed to help African countries make faster progress on their priorities for improving health, education, infrastructure and access to water, International Development Secretary Hilary Benn announced today.

Mr Benn was speaking on the eve of the Africa Partnership Forum meeting in London on 4 and 5 October, at which African countries and the international community will agree on how to monitor and take forward all commitments made to support Africa's development.

Hilary Benn said:

"This has been an extraordinary year for Africa, with both the international community at the G8 and African nations making clear commitments to the continent's future.

"I hope the Africa Partnership Forum will agree for the first time a joint plan by which we can all be held to account for the pledges made, and our progress against them. The task now is to deliver what we have promised.

"That's why the UK will be the first country to pledge money to the World Bank's new fund for Africa, to speed up progress in fighting preventable diseases, improving maternal and infant health, girls' education, infrastructure and access to clean water in sub-Saharan Africa."

Mr Benn outlined the challenge of improving health, education and infrastructure in Africa, where:

  • A child dies every 30 seconds from malaria that could be prevented
  • A mother's chance of dying during pregnancy or childbirth are as high as 1 in 16
  • Every year, 4 million babies die in their first month of life
  • Over 22 million girls are unable to go to school; and
  • 300 million people do not have access to safe drinking water.

The use of the fund will be guided by the priorities of the Africa Partnership Forum. It will provide money to countries that have shown an ability to make good use of increased amounts of aid, as well as countries with reforming and post-conflict governments that show a commitment to reducing poverty. Money will also be given to regional projects to deal with needs that cross borders, for example improving transport links between countries.

Notes to editors:

  • The Africa Catalytic Fund was proposed in the World Bank's Africa Action Plan, which forms part of the Bank's response to the commitments made at Gleneagles in June, and was endorsed by Bank Governors at their annual meeting in Washington on 24-25 September. The fund will be financed by voluntary contributions from Bank members.

  • DFID's £200m contribution to the fund forms part of the £250m resources for scaling up development assistance announced by Hilary Benn at the conclusion of the 14th replenishment of the International Development Association on 31 March 2005. (The remaining £50m has been committed to the Fast Track Initiative for education, intended to accelerate progress towards achieving universal primary education by 2015).
  • The Africa Partnership Forum (APF) was established at the G8 Evian Summit in May 2003. Its membership includes African governments, the African Union (AU) and New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), a wide range of donor governments (those giving more than $100m each year in aid to Africa), as well as key multilateral agencies (UN, IMF, World Bank, OECD, World Trade Organisation and African Development Bank).

The APF is co-chaired by the Chair of the AU, the G8 Presidency, a non-G8 OECD representative, and AU-NEPAD. Co-chairs in 2005 are Nigeria, UK, the Netherlands and AU-NEPAD. The APF has so far held four meetings - in Paris, 2003; in Mozambique and Washington, 2004; in Abuja, April 2005.

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