Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa's overall GDP growth for 2008 was estimated at 5.9%, pulled down by the lower rates for oil importing countries (4.8%). The spring meetings of the World Bank and IMF saw a proposal by Western shareholders to increase African voting rights. African countries, however, were unimpressed and demanded parity. West Africa was the scene of a series of coups and coup attempts, while terrorist and counter-terrorist activities were concentrated in the Horn sub-region and the Sahara. Pirate activities increased along the shores of Somalia, but also in the Gulf of Guinea. Droughts and floods as natural or often man-made phenomena remained among the main contributing factors to hunger and displacement. HIV/AIDS continued to be among the main causes of death. According to the 2008 report by UNAIDS, 67% of all people with HIV lived in sub-Saharan Africa, which accounted for 72% of all AIDS deaths. Keywords:AIDS; Gulf of Guinea; Somalia; Sub-Saharan Africa