Global Economic Crisis Will Cost Africa Billions By the end of 2009, Africa’s economy stands to lose up to $49 billion due to the global economic crisis, according to research from ActionAid. Almost half of the amount –$27 billion – is due to a drop in foreign aid, earnings from exports and money from richer nations who are struggling through recession, reports the BBC. “Although developing countries didn’t make this crisis, it has become all too clear that they are in the firing line when it comes to suffering its worst effects,” said an ActionAid official. Countries that were making progress in recent years could start to backslide. “There is a real risk that development will start to go backwards in many countries as the money dries up and that the recession will lead to worsening poverty and terrible consequences for the men, women and children caught in its grip.” The country set to suffer the most is South Africa, the report says, because of the drop in foreign income.

U.S. AIDS Program Did Wonders in Guyana Guyana’s AIDS prevention program, sponsored by the United States, has helped cut the nation’s HIV rate by almost 2 percent, according to the government. The Caribbean nation’s infection rate dropped down from almost 3 percent to about 1 percent, reports the BBC. The government has been able to monitor the program’s success by testing almost half of the nation. The numbers prompted one of the nation’s health officials to call the program, which started five years ago and is headed up by the U.S. Agency for International Development, a “huge success story.” The program, which cost $20 million, focused on both awareness and prevention.

TAGS: $49 billion, Africa, AIDS, crisis, economic, global, Guyana, program, US sponsored

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