Obasanjo addresses D8 in Cairo

The Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, told the summit that the debt crisis was hampering African economic development.

Mr Obasanjo said African countries were using a substantial amount of their limited resources to service the debt -- estimated at more than forty-billion dollars.

He said while the need for debt cancellation has been recognised, wealthy countries still lacked the political courage and will to make that decision.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service