African leaders arrive in Japan for outreach meeting with G8 leaders

TOYAKO, Japan, July 6 (Xinhua) -- The presidents of Algeria, South Africa and Nigeria arrived in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido on Sunday for outreach meetings with Group of Eight (G8) leaders to discuss African development and other issues.

African development is one of the main topics at the G8 summit at a lakeside resort of Toyako, where leaders from Britain, Canada, Italy, Japan, France, Germany, Russia and the United States will also discuss climate change and the world economy, among other topics.

The presidents of four other African countries -- Senegal, Ghana, Tanzania and Ethiopia -- are expected to arrive on Monday.

The African leaders will join G8 leaders Monday for discussions on the outcomes of the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, which gathered leaders and officials from 51 African countries in May.

The participants of the conference recognized in a declaration that African countries "continue to face a number of serious challenges and that achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will be a difficult task."

The most immediate challenges include "continuing widespread poverty and unemployment in rural and urban areas coupled with rapid population growth," the declaration said.

Many African countries have urged developed countries, the G8 nations in particular, to fulfill their promises and become more committed to the continent in fighting poverty and developing economy.