I strongly recommend that people read the entire article. It is a valuable perspective that is rarely heard. For those who lack the time, here is a brief summary.
Huge bureaucracies are financed (with the aid money), corruption and complacency are promoted, Africans are taught to be beggars and not to be independent. In addition, development aid weakens the local markets everywhere and dampens the spirit of entrepreneurship that we so desperately need. As absurd as it may sound: Development aid is one of the reasons for Africa's problems. If the West were to cancel these payments, normal Africans wouldn't even notice. Only the functionaries would be hard hit. Which is why they maintain that the world would stop turning without this development aid.I encourage you to read the entire article and then think about the best way to spend your charity money.Local farmers may as well put down their hoes right away; no one can compete with the UN's World Food Program. And because the farmers go under in the face of this pressure, Kenya would have no reserves to draw on if there actually were a famine next year. It's a simple but fatal cycle.
Africa existed before you Europeans came along. And we didn't do all that poorly either.
...our tailors lose their livlihoods. They're in the same position as our farmers. No one in the low-wage world of Africa can be cost-efficient enough to keep pace with donated products. In 1997, 137,000 workers were employed in Nigeria's textile industry. By 2003, the figure had dropped to 57,000. The results are the same in all other areas where overwhelming helpfulness and fragile African markets collide.
We have to stop perceiving ourselves as beggars. These days, Africans only perceive themselves as victims. On the other hand, no one can really picture an African as a businessman. In order to change the current situation, it would be helpful if the aid organizations were to pull out.
Unfortunately, the Europeans' devastating urge to do good can no longer be countered with reason.
The German government threw money right at Rwanda's president Paul Kagame. This is a man who has the deaths of a million people on his conscience -- people that his army killed in the neighboring country of Congo.
If they really want to fight poverty, they should completely halt development aid and give Africa the opportunity to ensure its own survival. Currently, Africa is like a child that immediately cries for its babysitter when something goes wrong. Africa should stand on its own two feet.
Hi Pyro,
Good to hear from you. I agree, The only tricky part is putting trustworthy officials in charge of the programs so that the money isn't lost to corruption. Any suggestions?
I'm not being sarcastic, I don't know of a way to do this for nations with corrupt leaders. In fact, giving aid to these nations allows corrupt leaders to stay in power as they can use their skimmings to pay for muscle and allies.
I still want to help, but I'm starting to think the best way is to offer scholarships to some of their citizens to study here in the US. Once they have a degree and/or other skills, they can then go back and hopefully start a business. Of course, then you have to wrestle with a brain drain problem where many of their brightest won't want to go back, but that is easier to handle.
It sounds to me like he's accusing westerners of destroying the economy with handouts. If that's the case, why not just change the focus of the aid rather than eliminate it?
Something like the New Deal programs in America might be appropriate. Westerners could provide the financing to hire thousands of Africans for the purpose of improving their own infrastructure and economy - building roads, equipment, schools, etc... The only tricky part is putting trustworthy officials in charge of the programs so that the money isn't lost to corruption.