UK’s Brown meets African leaders ahead of G20

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will host a meeting of leading policymakers from Africa on Monday to discuss the economic crisis ahead of the G20 summit in London in April.

"We expect over 20 African representatives to attend," the prime minister's spokesman told reporters, listing leaders from Tanzania, Liberia, Botswana, Ethiopia and Kenya and finance ministers from South Africa and Nigeria.

"The purpose of the meeting this afternoon is to provide an opportunity to consult a wide range of African leaders on their concerns and policy priorities during the global economic crisis."

South Africa is the only African member of the G20 group of old and emerging economic powers, although Brown has asked umbrella groups the New Partnership for Africa's Development and the African Union Commission to attend the summit on April 2.

The economic downturn across the world has raised concerns that rich nations will be less willing to boost aid to poorer nations.

"It is not possible to stimulate the world economy while ignoring the millions of the poor in Africa, south Asia and other places," said President of the African Development Bank, Donald Kaberuka, who will also attend the pre-G20 meeting.

"The real stimulus will have to involve every country in the world," he told BBC radio. "We think that the sums involved for the world to do so are a small proportion of what is being deployed right now to stimulate the world economy."

Brown has said that failing to help the most vulnerable economies through the crisis will only prolong the downturn.

"It's the prime minister's view that it's very important we maintain our commitment to the developing world at this difficult time," Brown's spokesman said.