The Commission’s main outreach event for central Africa, designed to present the report to a wide audience and give an opportunity for key stakeholders to consider how to take recommendations forward, took place in Yaounde, Cameroon, from 7-8 June. The meeting was very well attended with over 170 participants from Cameroon, Burundi, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville, CAR, Sao Tome, Rwanda and Chad taking part. Participants included both civil society and private sector representatives. Many had taken part previously in the Commission’s central Africa private sector and civil society consultation events which took place in Yaounde and Douala respectively in late 2004.

Myles Wickstead, Head of the Commission Secretariat, spoke at the meeting of the need for African support for the Commission report ahead of the Gleneagles G8 summit. The opening ceremony was also attended by the Cameroon Minister of Planning Augustin Frederic Kodock.

Although participants broadly welcomed the report wide ranging interventions highlighted concerns about whether there would be the political will on the part of G8 countries to follow through on their commitments.

Participants at the meeting agreed ambitious plans to promote the report in central Africa before Gleneagles. A full report of the event produced and endorsed by the meeting together with a list of participants will be made available here shortly.

» The report of the meeting is available here []

» Read more about presenting the report to Africa

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