Aid only feeds Africa's corruption

[Christoph]

ASK Andrew Mwenda how rich nations can help Africa and you get a quick and disturbing answer. 'The best thing the West can do is nothing,' he says. The Ugandan journalist and broadcaster is in London telling anyone who is prepared to listen that aid has been a disaster for Africa, fuelling corruption and hindering development

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,19609-2260652,00.htmlhttp://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,19609-2260652,00.html


Interesting qoute:

“Aid has destroyed the concept of civil society in Africa. What exists are the NGOs. They are bureaucracies committed to the interests of donors. Cut off the foreign aid and 90 per cent will disappear,” says Mr Mwenda.

[Gee_Queen]

So it is better to do NOTHING ???

[MAN]

So it is better to do NOTHING ???

Sometimes YES!

[madthumbs]

It's better to help where you can see improvement, and not funnel money through any organized charities.

[Hetric]

I think it depends on the size of the organisation. At a certain level donations become more a fuel for the organisation and the staff than for the victims. Even employers need a paycheck.

[stoli_sambuca]

Well, typical pattern is ...

- Developed countries lend an enormous amount of money to developing countries to such an extent that they cannot pay back

- Money is not lent to developing countries in reality. They're really lent to corrupted governments while corrupt government officials take a big part of it to live well.

- Those who do not participate in the process are often punished severely. Salvador Allende is a good example.

- Now that developing countries cannot pay back money they borrowed, developed countries push them to offer something in return. Developing countries generally offer natural resources and inexpensive labor in return.

- Multi-national corporations come in and take resources while they use inexpensive labor in developing countries.

[Christoph]

Welcome stoli_sambuca!

I agree with you BUT I wouldn't say it is a typical pattern. And the good old "corrupt government" argument is a little bit...too simple and you forgot about the World Bank.

The corrupt government argument would be valid if ALL the aid money would go to them. But many NGOs don't work with governments and therefore the money reaches people who need it.

There is this: "No aid = no corruption" mentality going on with Mr. Andrew Mwenda. Something I cannot agree with him.