he Government Legislates the Canada Fund for Africa: On
February 7, the Government introduced legislation implementing the
December Federal Budget which set out "A Canada Fund for Africa". The
Fund will be used for activities that "significantly promotes the
fulfillment of the objectives set out in the New Partnership for
Africa's Development, adopted as the New Africa Initiative by the
Organization of African Unity at Lusaka in July 2001 and, in particular,
those objectives that were identified for support in the Africa Action
Plan called for by the Group of Eight industrialized countries in Genoa
in July 2001 and that are adopted by the Group of Eight at its summit
scheduled at Kananaskis in June 2002". Information provided to CCIC
indicates that the Fund will be administered as a separate account
within CIDA. The $500 million committed to the Fund will therefore be
spread over the several years in the life of the Fund and will not be
allocated from the government's fiscal surplus for 2001/02 as originally
intended in the December Budget. Rather than be charged against one
year, the Fund will appear in Canadian ODA statistics for the year in
which a disbursement is made for a program under the Fund (as is the
normal practice for all CIDA commitments). Canadian ODA performance
(our ODA to GNP ratio) will therefore increase modestly for the years in
which these disbursements are greatest.