African leaders at a continent wide summit on Monday grappled with how to halt the spread of diseases that kill thousands of their people daily and hit economic growth across the world's poorest continent, officials said. Discussions among dozens of African leaders would center on fund-raising and better disbursement of money aimed at fighting AIDS, malaria and polio, said Adam Thiam, an official of the 53-nation African Union hosting the talks in Nigeria's capital, Abuja. "The Abuja summit is going to be a decisive step in carrying on our combat against AIDS, malaria and polio," maladies which act as a "brake on production" and further impoverish Africa, he said. Some 3,000 African children under the age of 5 die each day from malaria, which also keeps many adult workers home with fever. Six thousand people die daily of AIDS in Africa. At least 40 of Africa's 53 leaders were in Abuja for the twice-yearly, two-day summit, expected to end Monday. Conflicts in Congo, Ivory Coast and Sudan took center stage on Sunday, said Thiam. Leaders, including U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and South Africa's Thabo Mbeki, were expected to continue discussions on how to boost their say in U.N. affairs.
