Business Action for Africa meet ahead of G8

Business Action for Africa, an international coalition of businesses who are "committed to ending poverty in Africa," have been meeting in London to promote reducing African poverty through capitalist development.

Predictably they claim they cannot alleviate poverty on their own, and need the help of governments to create conditions for increased prosperity in this resource rich continent.

The summit was organised by the Commission for Africa and the Commonwealth Business Council, and co-sponsored by NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development).

Among the participants at the conference were President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, President Levy Mwanawasa of Zambia, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel of South Africa, and Britain's International Development Secretary Hilary Benn, as well as business leaders from Africa and the G8 nations.

The Director of the Zambia Business Forum, Silane Mwenechany asked G8 for help to fight corruption, "to ensure that everyone is playing by the rules."

There was also a call to end bribery by taking action against companies that pay bribes to secure contracts. It is an interesting point that although 14 African nations have ratified the United Nations convention against corruption - none of the G8 countries have.

Companies belonging to or supporting Business Action for Africa, read like a rogues gallery of corporate irresponsibility and exploitation. They include, British American Tobacco, De Beers, Nestle, Rio Tinto, SABMiller, Standard Chartered, AngloAmerican, GlaxoSmithKline, Shell, and Unilever.

In support of their objectives, each participating business has signed up to a Business Action Plan for Africa – a set of clear and specific actions in one or more of five areas Policy Advocacy Promotion Of Africa Business Conduct Business Impact and Partnership