Bob Geldof today criticised the Government over its failure to deliver on its millenium promise of 0.7 per cent of GNP to overseas development aid.
Speaking on RTE Radio One Newstoday at the London launch of Commission for Africa ,Geldof said the government was a "disgrace" for not sticking to its aid promise.
He said its excuse that Africa can't absorb an increase in aid is a "cop out" and he urged the Taoiseach to go back to the government's original position of 0.7 per cent.
Before publishing the Budget last December the Minister for Finance Brian Cowen said spending on overseas aid would rise from the current rate of about 0.4 per cent of Gross National Product (GNP) to 0.5 per cent by 2007.
This year, spending will be €535 million, in 2006 it will be €600 million, and 2007 €656 million. However, with Irish GNP touching €110billion in 2004, based on the Government's own figures aid spending will only rise to 0.43 per cent by 2007, far short of its revised target of 0.5 per cent and a long way from its original objective of 0.7 per cent.
Referring to the Commission report, Geldof admitted Africa's institutions and structures are currently too weak to take a massive injection of extra funding. But he stressed that a doubling of aid is urgently needed to build up the institutions and structures in these countries to allow them to develop.
He pointed out that Africa is still the recipient of the least amount of money in the world even though it's the poorest.
He said the report redefines Ireland's relationship in terms of its common humanity and not in terms of its economic interest.
"Ireland, Bono, the Missions, people in Goal, Trocaire, Concern, and Irish leaders in this area defined how they worked themselves on the basis of their common humanity, he said.
"Now that we're well-off, please, let's spare us going into this economic trickery, these false broken promises. It ill becomes us. We've a specific role to play in Europe. We are a serious voice, a dynamic economy, a people who've moved out beyond Africa and the rest of the world.
Go back to what we said, let's not break our word" said Geldof.
Responding to Geldof's comments this evening the Minister for Finance Brian Cowen said: "I want to state that the absorptive capacity of African countries has not in any way been a factor in our decision making process."
"It is important to recognize that since the UN target of 0.7 per cent of GNP was first agreed at the UN General Assembly in 1970 it has proved very difficult for many countries to reach - to date only five countries have managed to reach or exceed the target."
"Ireland is one of the world's leading aid donors on a per capita basis. We are currently in eighth place among OECD member states and our performance is well above the EU average.
"The increases in spending on aid that this Government have already achieved are dramatic: Ireland's overall contribution to ODA in 1997 was €158 million; in 2004 it was €475, a three-fold increase."