Leaders of the Group of Eight industrialised nations were locked in tense negotiations over the future of aid to Africa today, as Britain and Japan resisted efforts by France and Italy to water down historic promises made at the Gleneagles summit to double development in the world’s poorest continent.

The first day of the summit at Lake Toya in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido will be dominated by discussion of Africa, as the South African president, Thabo Mbeki, and six other regional leaders meet face to face with the G8 leaders.

However, their deliberations began with major disagreement over the wording of the communiqué to be adopted by the summit.

Early drafts state that the G8 remains “fully committed to fulfil our commitments on ODA made at Gleneagles, in particular with regard to doubling aid for Africa by 2010”. However, it omits the key figure of US$50 billion per year, half of which was to go to Africa.

It also fails to set out a schedule for another promise made at Gleneagles, a commitment to $60 billion for fighting infectious diseases and improving health.

Britain is pressing for a three year timescale, which would raise health aid from $15 billion to $20 billion per year. If the leaders were to omit a timetable, or to set one at four years or longer, then the promise would not result in any net increase in aid.

The pressure to water down the proposals comes from Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, and Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi, who both face pressure to trim their domestic spending. It is opposed by Gordon Brown and by the Japanese prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda.

Overseas aid is a particular interest of Mr Brown; it would be a particular blow for him to be present at a summit at which the promises brokered by his predecessor, Tony Blair, were rolled back. Mr Fukuda, too, has staked much prestige on delivering good news for Africa. He hosted a conference of African aid in the city of Yokohama in May, at which he promised to double Japan’s own, relatively modest aid budget to the continent.

Tomorrow, the G8 leaders will announce new measures on improving education, health, water supplies and sanitation and increasing the number of doctors and nurses. But it will be by the presence, or absence, of a headline figure on overall African aid that their talks will be judged a success or failure.

“Japan will steadfastly implement the doubling of ODA to Africa by 2010,” the Japanese foreign ministry spokesman Kazuo Kodama said this morning.

“Japan will not backtrack on aid. Prime Minister Fukuda is determined to reflect the views of the African leaders. He is as committed on this as Tony Blair.”

Times Recommends

• Rio Tinto four held as China prepares case
• Diplomats must keep heads down and trousers up
• When in Rome should one make like Berlusconi?