Victims of 9/11: when those hijacked planes ploughed into the World Trade Centre towers and the Pentagon, many more victims mere created than those who died in the rubble. (Africa -- Comment).

Any way you look at the African continent, the picture is bleak. Of the world's 50 worst countries in which to live, as judged by the 2001 United Nations Human Development Report, 37 are in Africa.

Africa's share of total world trade is less than two percent, while it's home to 13.2% of the world's population.

By a reliable estimate the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Africa needs "to grow significantly more than five percent annually for meaningful poverty reduction." However, the GDP of a majority of African nations declined during the 1990s; even the best performers were only growing by three to four percent.

A well-educated population is key to economic development, but some African countries enroll fewer than half of their children in school; and more than half of African women are illiterate.

The burden of disease is enormous, especially infectious and parasitic diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, polio, and HIV/AIDS. Currently, of the 31 million adults and children living with HIV/ AIDS worldwide, 21 million of them live in Africa. The health problem in Africa is so bad that life expectancy in many sub-Saharan nations is now declining.

Prior to September 11, some of the issues of importance to Africans were making their way onto the agendas of the developed world.

In January 2000, as the United States took the rotating chair of the United Nations Security Council, an "Africa Month" was proclaimed. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke said the purpose of the Africa Month was to put to rest "the position that Africa did not matter - that its problems were secondary to those in other parts of the world."

When the G8 leaders held their annual meeting in Genoa, Italy in July 2001 they agreed to put together something they called the New Partnership for African Development This is supposed to be a pledge to speed up development and aid the growth of democracy and sound economic management.

Then, Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda terrorist network raised their ugly heads. By killing thousands in their attacks they caused the world's developed nations to focus their attention on terrorism. The problems facing Africa have dropped off the list of priorities. Those who could help Africa now have neither the time, finances, energy, nor political will to do so.

Perhaps, when and if the war on terrorism is concluded, the world's leaders will turn their attention to the needs of Africa. But until then, many, many African people will become innocent victims of 9/11.