Anthony Kasozi, a Ugandan economist who became a leading voice in the global campaign for debt relief for developing countries, has died at the age of 78. His work helped lay the groundwork for the Jubilee 2000 movement, which successfully pressured wealthy nations to cancel billions of dollars in debt owed by the world's poorest countries.
Early life and career
Born in Kampala in 1948, Kasozi studied economics at Makerere University before earning a PhD at the University of Cambridge. He returned to Uganda to teach at Makerere, but his outspoken criticism of the Idi Amin regime forced him into exile in 1973. He spent the next decade working for the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme, where he focused on the impact of debt on developing economies.
According to his family, Kasozi often said that the debt crisis was not a financial problem but a moral one. He argued that loans made to dictators should not be repaid by their impoverished citizens.
Campaign for debt relief
In the 1990s, Kasozi became a key figure in the Jubilee 2000 campaign, which called for the cancellation of unpayable debts owed by developing countries by the year 2000. He helped draft the campaign's founding documents and traveled extensively to build support among governments and civil society groups.
Kasozi's efforts contributed to the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, launched by the World Bank and IMF in 1996. By 2000, over $100 billion in debt had been cancelled for 36 countries, including Uganda.
Later years and legacy
After retiring from the UN in 2008, Kasozi returned to Uganda, where he advised the government on economic policy and taught at Kampala International University. He continued to write about debt and development, publishing his memoir, "A Debt of Justice," in 2015.
According to his daughter, Dr. Sarah Kasozi, he remained optimistic about Africa's future despite the challenges. "He believed that with fair trade and debt justice, Africa could thrive," she said. He is survived by his wife, three children, and five grandchildren.
