Tuesday, June 12, 2007

"For God's Sake, Please Stop the Aid!"

Now this is very interesting, just sent to me by someone I know...An interview with a young Kenyan economics expert, published by Germany's SPIEGEL ONLINE, pleading with the international community to stop funding "development" and "aid" programs, asap:
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.
Also worth considering is this companion piece: this analysis by SPIEGEL correspondents Erich Wiedemann and Thilo Thielke:
Ahead of this week's G8 conference in Scotland, the world's richest nations forgave billions in debt to the world's poorest. Great news, right? Not necessarily. Decades of Western aid have done little to ease suffering in Africa -- indeed the situation is worse than ever. Is it time for the West to rethink its aid strategy?