Several hundred people are meeting in Gao, north-eastern Mali, to raise awareness about the problems faced by poor people in sub-Saharan Africa, BBC Online reports Saturday.
Dubbed the “Poor Peoples Summit”, it has been timed to coincide with the G8 talks in Russia. Attendees say armed conflict, debt and unfair trade practices are not heard about or understood by those at G8.
Those involved in the talks include representatives from Burkina Faso, Niger and the Ivory Coast and Mali. Many of the participants have travelled more than 1.000 kilometres to take part. Talks will be held over three days in a secondary school in Gao, on the edge of the Sahara desert.
Mali is the largest producer of cotton in sub-Saharan Africa, but Dao Dounantie, a participant at the summit, says paying subsidies to American cotton farmers makes it impossible for farmers in Mali to compete and sends them into debt.
Immigration is also of great concern. Many Africans attempting to escape poverty and insecurity head to Gao on a long and dangerous journey across the Sahara desert towards Europe.
Mali er nyudnævnt programsamarbejdsland for dansk bistand.
