Every international gathering has its own zeitgeist. When national leaders meet at global events or regional conclaves, they swap notes on current policy issues, but a particular sentiment dominates each gathering. It’s often anxiety, relief, solidarity, or determination. But the sentiment most present at the recent meeting in Accra of the African Development Bank where finance chiefs from the continent met their counterparts from the rich world was new and different. It was a widespread loss of trust in the willingness of the international community to recognize the perfect storm engulfing African economies and to provide support at the necessary scale and speed.
