Future Now
The IFTF Blog
The future of aid and Africa
It isn’t long since Dambisa Moyo's book Dead Aid was published. For the most part, people without experience in either development work or Africa thought she was being too extreme and taking her stance (all large multilateral aid to Africa should stop within 5 years) as a way to get attention and become famous. While I understand this reaction, I find it both sad and insulting as it undermines anything Moyo states as being simply sensational.
However, more and more people are coming out in agreement with Moyo. I just read a short blog post by Michael Holman (a former Africa editor from FT) in which he reinforces the concepts Moyo talks about in her book. I followed the link at the bottom of the page and found a very colorful chain of posts by FT editors, former edits, Jeffery Sachs, Dambisa Moyo and many more, debating the value or danger of aid in Africa.
Perhaps as more voices speak out and say what the aid community has been feeling in its heart of hearts for a long time, true systematic change in the way we think about developing Africa will actually happen. From when aid started with the Marshal Plan in Europe after WWII until now we have seen many shifts in how we go about justifying aid and what we target as being the key to development in Africa. These shifts usually happen every 10 years or so. From the 1960s which focused on industrialization to the 70s which focused on pro-poor aid agenda to the 21st century that is now focusing on aid to promote democracy. Despite the shifts, development, as an institution, has never in it’s 60 odd years truly been reborn. Are we seeing the seeds of something new? Or is this the same old short burst of interest and controversy which comes around every once in a while and sparks creative discussion but never leads to true change?