Africa bids for $64bn aid package

S. African President Mbeki's office said Nepad will discuss its presentation to the G8 summit in June

ABUJA, Nigeria -- African leaders have gathered in Nigeria to discuss the future of aid and development to the continent.

The 20 heads of state and observers meeting in Abuja make up the implementation committee of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad).

It estimates that Africa needs $64 billion of investment annually to ensure sustainable growth.

The initiative has been compared to the Marshall Plan that helped rebuild Europe after World War Two.

Wiseman Nkuhlu, chairman of Nepad's steering committee and special economic adviser to South African President Thabo Mbeki, told Reuters: "It is important that African leaders restore people's confidence in Africa's leadership.

"It is also important to win the confidence of the international community."

He rejected a warning by the United States that overwhelming African endorsement of Zimbabwe's controversial presidential election could hurt Western support for Nepad.

"We take exception to the kind of position that countries like the United States are taking," Nkuhlu said.

"African countries are doing this because they think it's the right thing to do. For Africans to be dictated to like this is simply irritating."

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is not expected to attend the summit.

Nkuhlu said the lack of Western-style democracy in some Asian countries did not stop U.S. investors.

Nepad is expected to make a declaration of intent to encourage Western aid.

A draft document, seen by Reuters, commits African governments to

It also commits African leaders to ensure a free press, an independent judiciary and a dedicated and efficient civil service, to eradicate corruption and respect human rights.

A spokesman for South African President Thabo Mbeki said: "The meeting will discuss a variety of things, but the main one is to find a concrete way forward for Nepad."

He said the meeting would also prepare Nepad's presentation to the next summit of the G8 industrialised nations in Canada in June.

During a tour of African states last month, British Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged Britain and its G8 partners would help develop Africa.

Blair, who championed a "Plan For Africa" at the G8 summit in Genoa last summer, said: "When an African child dies every three seconds, the developed world has a clear duty to act -- no responsible leader can turn their back on Africa."

He said: "Developed countries retain significant barriers to trade, particularly in agriculture.

"When we get to the next round of world trade talks we have got to make sure countries...get access to markets."

Countries taking part in the Nepad summit are Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Cameroon, Congo Republic, Gabon, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Rwanda, Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia and Zambia.

Tanzania, Uganda, Sao Tome and Principe and Ghana are attending as observers.