Comments on: Time to stop aid for Africa? An argument against

By: coreychambers

coreychambers — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:34:04 +0000

It’s definately time to wean Africa off of aid. They still need food, water and medicine, they deserve aid for education in areas that respect human rights. Uganda is not one of those places.

By: piet van doren

piet van doren — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:06:52 +0000

As long as news reporting out Africa does not need to live up to standards of accuracy, it will be very hard for people in the developed world to understand the continent and its real needs. A documentary like The Famine Scam makes you wonder how inaccurate African news headlines are allowed to become. Yet it shows examples of both good and bad aid at the same time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4SYM8JsDg4

By: pip

pip — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 10:31:56 +0000

It strikes me that many people in the most prosperous countries have underlying guilt in them, knowing that huge swathes of the world population struggle day to day partly because of the shortcomings of their own leaders and partly because the world system is skewed in favour of the ‘guilty’ rich.
Non-emergency aid allows the rich to assuage this guilt and feel morally superior to their non-giving contemporaries without compromising their lifestyle. But in the long run it appears not always to help. If anything it can hinder, Aid needs to be wound down and places like Africa need to be given a fair opportunity to make their own way.
People in the rich west need to understand that their lifestyle is the exception, not the rule and what they might consider to be essential, just isn’t.
Like missionaries who try to convert to ensure their places at the pearly gates, there is a huge swathe of aid promoters (celebrities especially) who are doing this for themselves and their image and to soothe that guilt they feel for the lavish lives they have.
For example if i see George Clooney pontificating on Darfur on more time I will scream. Who appointed him? Every country has problems but if they are to resolve them they must do it themselves so they have ownership of the solution themselves. With his own country 11 trillion in public debt and hardly angelic in foreign relations he should close his mouth.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:11:31 +0000

kudos to Michael Shaw, i agree entirely with that sentiment. The poor in rich nations are bombarded by media that tells them to donate to poorer countries to ease suffering. The methods are duplicituous and questionable. Its no shock or surprise… this has been going on for centuries. The few will always exploit the many and more advances in technology just give them more grist for the mill (so to speak). Its certainly not in the interests of the west for “developing” nations to acquire footholds on markets that they have strangleholds over…no no much better for the “west” to provide what the poorer countries need. Its a sickness… when i meet someone i dont automatically think “how can i exploit this person to better my own ends” unfortunately far too many do but they do it via “legitimate” industries….after all its only business, its nothing personal.

By: Mr. Sheriff

Mr. Sheriff — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 23:37:42 +0000

Well said and precisely outlined! Also, what a great reseach, Mr. Staff of Reuters. I don’t mean this to be impolite because I have search for your name, and I didn’t find any under or above the article.
As mentioned above, your article is wonderful. I hope all Africans could embark upon such trip in order to see for life the reality on ground and the report accurately the problem. Yes, we need aid in Africa, and we need quickly within strategic and most-needed areas, like rural communities.
It is widely known that developmental aids have to be distributed toward programs like better education, safer and clean water systems, sufficient electricity supply within both the urban and rural areas,together with good health system.
Great research, but please try to do more research on the quality of leadership in Africa.

By: Abasiama Idaresit

Abasiama Idaresit — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:50:50 +0000

I strongly believe Africa needs more trade agreements and access to markets. I agree with Terryanne, a fishing rod is what Africa needs.

The chinese over the past years have increased investment in infrastrutures which is what Africa needs desperately and this has contributed to overall economic growth.

A $50million trade agreement would have a more positive impact on the long run than a $200million aid package.

By: Ann_KL

Ann_KL — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:17:59 +0000

“Poverty in Africa has become an industry in Europe and North America”…
Well said. If you are a student and you want to be the socially active one, you just need to make up a group of people who will collect donations and ship them to Africa. While doing that, you can still make fun of the African students for their accent or food.
At least, that is what I saw when I was an exchange student from CEE in the US.
And also, I hated all that “caring about Africa” students, who had a crying black child as a wallpaper on their desktop.
There are more issues then just aid. The problem is deeper.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:07:51 +0000

Rob, excellent post and I agree with all your points. I also can’t believe that smut by George Smith was allowed to pass through, I wish Reuters wouldn’t allow the propogating of the “holier than thou” garbage to dirty this board.

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 10:04:11 +0000

I can’t believe that a topic about Africa didn’t moderate out the comment by the Jesus-lover. Africa is a continent with hundreds of Gods, animists. To use this forum to promote one pretend-god over another is kind of insulting.

It doesn’t matter. Poverty in Africa has become an industry in Europe and North America. High-paid celebrities and executives get points for promoting African poverty.

I highly suggest that anyone who cares does some information gathering on aid policies that hurt Africa – i.e. farm subsidies for wheat, pork, beans, corn.

Let me put in terms nobody can dispute:

I will offer you $100 million of grains in the form of aid.

All of this aid will come from my farmers.

I know this will flood your local market and bankrupt ALL of your local farmers. Who can compete with FREE?!? But it’s aid. Next year we will increase the aid to $125 million because all your farmers will also need aid.

You will depend on us for eternity.
________________________________________ _____________

Africa has the ability to produce its own food. It needs education, equipment, and inputs (fertilizer). That’s it. The hands willing to work already exist. Give Africa a chance to compete and break up the mega-agricultural companies.

When we get over that little problem, Africa won’t be the poor man of the world any longer.

By: george smith

george smith — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:54:47 +0000

I believe the people of Africa should be helped in what ways we possibly can especially spiritually. All lands need to hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That God sent his only begotten Son to die for our sins on the cross, he was buried, and rose from the dead and went back up to Heaven.Trust him as your Saviour and God.