News Brief

As a follow-up to their commitment at the Prague 2000 Annual Meetings to put Africa at the center of their institutions' activities, the heads of the IMF and the World Bank will travel together to Africa to meet with African leaders in Mali and Tanzania from February 18-25, 2001.

IMF Managing Director Horst Köhler and World Bank President James Wolfensohn will visit Bamako, Mali on February 18-20 for meetings hosted by President Konaré of Mali and attended by Heads of State from West and Central Africa. They will then travel to Abuja, Nigeria on February 21 for a brief country visit. Mr. Köhler and Mr. Wolfensohn will next participate in discussions with Heads of State from Southern and East Africa, hosted by President Mkapa, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on February 22-24. They will travel to Kenya on February 25. During this trip, they will also participate in discussions with the Heads of State of Algeria, Nigeria, and South Africa on a program these leaders have jointly put forward to Africa's recovery and development, known as the Millennium African Renaissance Program.

The trip will focus on the major issues confronting Africa today—the need to reduce poverty through sustained economic growth, to combat AIDS, strengthen governance, improve the investment climate, and resolve conflicts. The heads of the IMF and the World Bank are anxious to listen to how African leaders plan to address these issues and to discuss how the institutions can best support them in their efforts.