U.S. Aid Is Holding Africa Back

RealClearMarkets ^ | 04/21/2011 | Diana Furchtgott-Roth

[SeekAndFind]

Africa receives about $11 billion a year in foreign aid from America, and an equal amount in loans from the World Bank.

In spite of this largesse, or perhaps because of it, Africa remains the world's least developed region.

In this time of fiscal crisis in the United States, as evidenced by Standard and Poor's downgrade on Monday of Washington's credit-worthiness, it is imperative that Congress reduce spending and borrowing. Aid to Africa is one place to start.

George Ayittey, a Ghanian economist and a professor of economics at American University, offers persuasive reasons in a paper he gave earlier this month to the Association of Private Enterprise Education, which held its annual meeting in Nassau, Bahamas.

"African dictators and the ruling elites are just not interested in reforming their abominable political and economic systems," he declared. Until this changes, he argues, no matter how much aid African nations receive, they will not progress.

African countries lack enlightened political leadership, Ayittey finds, and most African leaders are more interested in lining their pockets than encouraging entrepreneurship. That's especially unfortunate, because before Africa was colonized it had a culture of markets and entrepreneurship, a spirit still in evidence in small African towns.

Africa's economic situation should concern Americans, and not only because of the billions of dollars wasted on foreign aid. A growing, entrepreneurial Africa would be a trading partner for America, a place to sell our exports and a source of low-cost imports. More American exports mean more jobs for Americans.

[umgud]

Kinda like Detroit?

[KarlInOhio]

I hate to say it, but Chinese investment is far more likely to aid Africa than all of the gifts from the US or loans from the World Bank.

[PeterPrinciple]

In this time of fiscal crisis in the United States, as evidenced by Standard and Poor’s downgrade on Monday of Washington’s credit-worthiness, it is imperative that Congress reduce spending and borrowing. Aid to Africa is one place to start.

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Would you disagree with the above?

[SkyPilot]

I have been to Africa.

Africa is holding Africa back.

[umgud]

Would you disagree with the above?

Aid to Africa has been money down a rathole long before our current financial crisis.

[jagusafr]

“African dictators and the ruling elites are just not interested in reforming their abominable political and economic systems,” he declared. Until this changes, he argues, no matter how much aid African nations receive, they will not progress.

Well, well...the truth rings out like a clarion! All that aid money goes right into the pockets of those in charge. Who’d’a thunk? And we’re in the middle of trying to get AFRICOM up and running, dealing with these selfsame dictators and ruling elites.

Colonel, USAFR

[RJS1950]

I said this over 40 years ago as a college freshman in answer to the question from a professor in class, “What do we do to help the starving people in Africa?”.

The answer was “Let them starve”. The point being that even in 1969 the starvation and tribal killing was not new and was a result of the colonial powers leaving and no longer controlling the tribal hatred and murder. I pointed out that over 20 years following WWII no amount of aid and money had changed anything and never would. The few children that might be saved would grow up to do the same things their parents did in the name of tribal hatred and traditions.

You would have thought that I had just murdered someone in front of the class but I’ve been proven correct over and over again.

Let Africa do its own thing and in the long run there will be fewer problems, they’ll either kill off most of them or starve because of not wanting to change their beliefs and traditions.

[himno hero]

You are sooooooo right. They do not have democracy there, tribalism still reigns. No one can get ahead of the chiefs.

Like i told some guys there who wanted to go to America, cuzzz its so nice....” I could give Africans all of America with its improvements, and Africa to Americans and within 3 years, America would be broken and destroyed and Africa would look and feel like America”. Thus, it’s a matter of choice and attitutde.

When was the last time the English had tribes?

[nakutny]

I have read that African country borders were established by and for the financial advantage of the outsiders who made money from the land and people. They split and combined rival tribes making it impossible for any self government to succeed.
Unless the nationals find a way to re-establish borders according to their self interest there will never be peace or prosperity, and corruption will continue to rule the day.
Same in Arab and Persian countries.

[AfricanChristian]

Very true. African borders make no sense.

I'll tell you a story. In 1914, the British made a tidy profit from the protectorate secured by the Royal Niger Company but the colony north of the River Niger was being run at a loss. To save money, they merely amalgamated the two colonies and called the result "Nigeria" and there have been problems ever since.

The second thing most Americans don't know is to a large extent the British are responsible for the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in West Africa. When the British came to this part of the World they chose to rule through the local Emirs, thus strengthening them and the position of Sharia. But most disturbingly, they discouraged the activities of Christian missionaries in that part of Nigeria. Since the colonial authorities were not that interested in educating the natives and education was left to missionaries, Northern Nigeria was educationally disadvantaged. At independence in 1960, there were only 2 university graduates from Northern Nigeria.

Everyone knows that the post-colonial period has been terrible but the colonial period was not a bed of roses either. The picture below shows a Congolese man staring at the hands of his daughter cut off by the Belgians because she didn't meet the quota for tapping rubber.

This record has been long surpassed by Africans, but there are no good guys in the long bloody story called African history.

Our hope and prayer is that our children's future will be a vast improvement on our present.