Here is a TED video by Andrew Mwenda explaining the difference between the American Marshall plan to Europe and Development AID being given to Africa. Mwenda engages in a brief shouting match with Bono.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: Let’s have a deeper discussion on aid
At recent meetings of the Group of 20 and the International Monetary Fund, world leaders have gathered to discuss the global economic crisis. Unfortunately, it seems that many still believe they can solve the problems of the poor with sentimentality and promises of massive infusions of aid, which often do not materialise. We who live in, and lead, the world’s poorest nations are convinced that the leaders of the rich world and multilateral institutions have a heart for the poor. But they also need to have a mind for the poor.
Dambisa Moyo’s controversial book, Dead Aid, has given us an accurate evaluation of the aid culture today. The cycle of aid and poverty is durable: as long as poor nations are focused on receiving aid they will not work to improve their economies. Some of Ms Moyo’s prescriptions, such as ending all aid within five years, are aggressive. But I always thought this was the discussion we should be having: when to end aid and how best to end it.
Aid has not only often failed to meet its objectives; it has also rarely dealt with the underlying issues of poverty and weak societies. We see this with our neighbour, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There, 17,000 United Nations peacekeepers – the largest and most expensive presence of its kind in history – treat the symptoms rather than addressing the issues of capacity, self-determination and dignity.
Often, aid has left recipient populations unstable, distracted and more dependent; as Ashraf Ghani, the former finance minister of Afghanistan, has pointed out, it can even sever the relationship between democratically elected leadership and the populace.
Do not get me wrong. We appreciate support from the outside, but it should be support for what we intend to achieve ourselves. No one should pretend that they care about our nations more than we do; or assume that they know what is good for us better than we do ourselves. They should, in fact, respect us for wanting to decide our own fate.
At the same time, as I tell our people, nobody owes Rwandans anything. Why should anyone in Rwanda feel comfortable that taxpayers in other countries are contributing money for our well being or development? Rwanda is a nation with high goals and a sense of purpose. We are attempting to increase our gross domestic product by seven times over a generation, which increases per capita incomes fourfold. This will create the basis for further innovation and foster trust, civic-mindedness and tolerance, strengthening our society.
Entrepreneurship is the surest way for a nation to meet these goals. Michael Fairbanks’ book, In The River They Swim, which uses Rwanda as one of its examples, highlights the need to respect local wisdom, build a culture of innovation and create investment opportunities in product development, new distribution systems and innovative branding.
Government activities should focus on supporting entrepreneurship not just to meet these new goals, but because it unlocks people’s minds, fosters innovation and enables people to exercise their talents. If people are shielded from the forces of competition, it is like saying they are disabled.
Entrepreneurship gives people the feeling that they are valued and have meaning, that they are as capable, as competent and as gifted as anyone else. Asking our citizens to compete is the same as asking them to go out into the world on behalf of Rwanda and play their part.
We know this is a tremendous challenge given our status as a land-locked nation emerging from conflict, with few natural resources, little specialised infrastructure and low historical investment in education. But, in fact, we have reasons to be optimistic: we have a clear strategy to export based on sustainable competitive advantages. We sell coffee now for high prices to the world’s most demanding purchasers; our tourism experience attracts the best customers in the world and market research reveals that perceptions of Rwandan tea are improving.
This has resulted in wages in key sectors rising at more than 20 per cent on an annual basis. We have cut our aid as a percentage of total GDP by half over the past decade, and last year we grew at more than 11 per cent even as the world entered a recession.
While this is encouraging, we know the road to prosperity is a long one. We will travel it with the help of a new school of development thinkers and entrepreneurs, with those who demonstrate they have not just a heart, but also a mind for the poor.
Contributed to FT.COM The writer is president of Rwanda
We the STOP AID MOVEMENT ask you to sign our petition to Stop Economic AID Dependency in Africa.
This Petition also advocates for lifting of Trade Barriers for African produce and the end to policies and restrictions that block African Entrepreneurship at the grassroots level.
Rwanda is a good example of a country that is eager to get rid of Aid Dependency. Rwanda’s President has recently advocated for Africa to stop its dependency on Economic Aid from Rich countries. This is in line with Dambisa Moyo’s thesis that Aid is bad for Africa because it replaces Entrepreneurship with complacency and dependency. I largely agree with this notion.
Here are some excerpts from Jeff Chu founder of fast growing social media website FastCompany.com recent article on Rwanda.
Kagame’s strategy relies on wealthy and powerful friends to lure private investment, train a new generation of managers, build a globally competitive economy, and wean the country off foreign aid. Even as troubling questions remain about Kagame’s involvement in the region’s ongoing conflicts, this unpaid, business-savvy team is marketing the brand called Rwanda.
Just as the Asian Tigers arose as export-led, middle-income economies in the 20th century, Rwanda wants to become the African Gorilla in the 21st. It seems crazily audacious — and Rwanda’s leaders know it. “We’re trying to create a new model for fighting poverty. Nobody believes that it’s possible,” says éliane Ubalijoro, a researcher at Montreal’s McGill University who serves as a Kagame adviser. “How do you take a country that’s been through hell and bring it to security and prosperity? This is about healing, and this is about hope. We think it can be done.”
“No country can depend on development aid forever,” Kagame told Fast Company. “Such dependency dehumanizes us and robs us of our dignity.” It may also, of course, make him accountable to people outside Rwanda. Last December, following a United Nations report that Rwanda was supporting Tutsi rebels in Congo, the Netherlands and Sweden suspended $20 million in aid. Kagame slammed what he called the donors’ “arrogance” — then arrested the rebel leader and made a deal with the Congolese president. [read more]
This what Dr Dambisa Moyo has to say about Rwanda and President Kagame in the FastCompany.com Interview.
FC: So who are the leaders who are helping to make that happen, who are helping to “make the chocolate”? Moyo: I really admire Kagame. He’s doing something against the grain, but he’s an anomaly. Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson in Liberia is doing it to some degree. But that’s about it. I’m not very sanguine. That’s precisely why I’ve decided not to be a crusader. I’ve said what I have to say.
Read a brief written by John Karanja which includes President Paul Kagame advocating for end of Aid dependency. [click here]
Support President Paul Kagame sign the petition
We the STOP AID MOVEMENT ask you to sign our petition to Stop Economic AID Dependency in Africa.
This Petition also advocates for lifting of Trade Barriers for African produce and the end to policies and restrictions that block African Entrepreneurship at the grassroots level.
Almost everyone will agree that anyone who has ever achieved something has never done it by perpetually relying on handouts. In principle people need to be held accountable in order to establish their own fiscal discipline and growth in their lives. This is usually done through Investing and Trade.
Instead of always giving a man fish, show him how to catch the fish.
Why is Africa dependent on AID ? What has AID done for Africa over the past 50 years? These questions have been answered by Dambisa Moyo in the book DEAD AID.
This website has been created to allow a more centralized movement to stop AID and propose new and innovative solutions for Africa. Browse this website for more details about the curse of Aid Dependency and feel free to contribute to the discussion.
Dambisa has mentioned our Movement on Twitter encouraging you all to participate in creating awareness about the African Development Agenda.
Please support our petition and forward this page to all your friends via email, facebook, twitter and other social networks. You will find the share icons for social media at the bottom of this post.
Dambisa on Twitter
Support the end to Aid Dependency. Sign the petition below.
We the STOP AID MOVEMENT ask you to sign our petition to Stop Economic AID Dependency in Africa.
This Petition also advocates for lifting of Trade Barriers for African produce and the end to policies and restrictions that block African Entrepreneurship at the grassroots level.
