For God's Sake, Please Stop the Aid!

Live 8, or rather Dead 8 had every intention of wanting to help Africa by getting wealthy countries (G8 is trying to do this) to throw money into Africa to help.

The Kenyan economics expert James Shikwati, 35, says that aid to Africa does more harm than good. The avid proponent of globalization spoke with SPIEGEL about the disastrous effects of Western development policy in Africa, corrupt rulers, and the tendency to overstate the AIDS problem.

Shikwati: Such intentions have been damaging our continent for the past 40 years. If the industrial nations really want to help the Africans, they should finally terminate this awful aid. The countries that have collected the most development aid are also the ones that are in the worst shape. Despite the billions that have poured in to Africa, the continent remains poor.
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Shikwati: And what's the result? A disaster. The German government threw money right at Rwanda's president Paul Kagame. This is a man who has the deaths of a million people on his conscience -- people that his army killed in the neighboring country of Congo.

SPIEGEL: What are the Germans supposed to do?

Shikwati: If they really want to fight poverty, they should completely halt development aid and give Africa the opportunity to ensure its own survival. Currently, Africa is like a child that immediately cries for its babysitter when something goes wrong. Africa should stand on its own two feet.

In other words, for simpleton folks who do not understand the consequences of people who are dependent on welfare, capitalism and self-sufficiency are the answer to help somebody to become self-sufficient. The United States who forked over 600 billion dollars over the last 45 years to Africa is not the answer. It only made the situation worse.


"Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."