Help Africa

[Dr. Shane]

Walter Williams, a black conservative American, wieghs in with his opinion.

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Aid To Africa

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A standard myth is there's a "vicious cycle of poverty" that makes economic development virtually impossible for the world's poor nations. This myth holds that poor countries are poor because income is so low that savings cannot be generated to provide the kind of capital accumulation necessary for economic growth. Thus, it is alleged, the only way out of perpetual poverty is foreign aid...

The worst thing that can be done is to give more foreign aid to African nations. Foreign aid goes from government to government. Foreign aid allows Africa's corrupt regimes to buy military equipment, pay off cronies and continue to oppress their people. It also provides resources for its leaders to set up "retirement" accounts in Swiss banks.

What Africa needs, foreign aid cannot deliver, and that's elimination of dictators and socialist regimes, establishment of political and economic freedom, rule of law and respect for individual rights. Until that happens, despite billions of dollars of foreign aid, Africa will remain a basket case.

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[Neil D]

For each 1,000 Nigerien children born this year, 262 will fail to reach their fifth birthday, recent reports show. "Children will likely die from malnourishment, but a substantial proportion is probably dying from conditions related to poor water quality, or other non-food-related problems," FEWS Net, a famine warning service, reported late last month. Famine and drought continue to ravage the world's second poorest country, affecting 1.2 million of the nation's 3.6 million rural farmers. Many say the tragedy -- which was predicted in detail nearly nine months ago -- is the result of a belated response by the outside world. In November of 2004, the United Nations and the Niger government issued warnings after discovering a 7.5 percent decrease in the normal harvest. By May, Niger had received only 7,000 of the 71,000 requested tons of food, and one $323,000 donation, from Luxembourg.

[David_McQueen]

Oh it's Mr Williams again. It would help if professors like him actually got more involved in the process and dug deeper to find out the bigger issues involved here.

Africa is a huge continent rich in natural resources. Any historian can show that whilst there is indeed much corruption in many of the countries in sub-Saharn Africa, much of it has been bankrolled by external companies. From the days of Patrice Lumumba to the attempted coup in SOuthern Africa not too long ago it has been clear that it is more than a simple few dictators.

Yes maybe we do need to address the corruption in many of those countries but a further bit of digging in the IMF, giving the funding to NGOs rather than countries, getting offshore accounts to be responsible for the management of money and assets from such countries.

In the meantime.....

[Dr. Shane]

Mexico is also another country rich in natural resouces that struggles with corruption. Studies have shown that the enemies of poverty are education and opportunity. Poor nations often have poor education and/or too many government regulations that cripple opportunity.

[David_McQueen]

Interesting position