Dambisa Moyo vs. Jeffrey Sachs in The Huffington Post. Does Africa really need aid?

Dambisa Moyo's thesis is an interesting and fresh approach to the perennial issue of donor aid. Originally from Zambia, Dambisa argues against the ills of aid in its current disbursement form, she outlines convincingly why donor aid is being abused and how the donors have used aid to dictate their policies on how recipients should run their countries, and how ultimately this African community fixation on aid will do Africans more harm than good. She cites the Marshall plan as assisting particular nations of that post-war era through one time injections of targeted aid rather than the now ritual annual doses of 'foreign aid' to African presidents holding out begging plates.



Huge debates have ensued online, and the simplistic and easiest responses I have seen in some cases ridicule her outright, some even blame her for Italys state aid withdrawal from a country in Africa. Being a lifetime student of history I am reminded of people that dared question the status quo in times past, the societal discomfort thus created by their thinking 'outside the box' resulting in their being excommunicated by their churches, barred by their communities or indeed for lack of a better word martyred by society on burning stakes. Picture this if you may; a way of life built on a false premise, the powerful were bound to lose clout, respect and a culture destroyed due to new insights, new technology, new thinking, this new revolution challenged the comfort of their way of life, all that they had lived and died for, it was unacceptable,the easiest way was and is to chuck out the revolutionary new thinking and stick with the tried and tested, as they say 'dont rock the boat', 'if it aint broke, dont fix it', and a coordinated character assasination of the revolutionary inclusive of expletives ensues, culminating with 'death to the revolutionary' chants by masses whipped into a frenzy by the change resistance brigade.


My take is we hear her out, she has very valid points, a response to the question she raises has to be multi-dimensional, yes or no answers may be too simplistic, while most arguments articulate the benefits of aid, that's the easy part, no one seems to be commenting on the negative end of aid, the fact that the donors pick and choose recipients (Pakistan, India, Israel and Egypt, a case in point), the abuse by governments, the loss of innovation, I believe Dambisa is daring to take the road less taken, to shift the paradigm, albeit with academic reserach prowess, she has a message that if you read her book without prejudice and avoid the urge to take sides before hearing her out is quite balanced.

Analyse if you may, the growth in Africa that has come about since China came up with aid formulas in spite of the west, its all around us, Dambisa argues that governments in impoverished states epitomise wealth hence the infighting and perpetual 'crying for votes' after elections, because that's where the wealth and power is concentrated, every self respecting politician wants that POWER, that government post that is funded by donor aid. Dambisa argues that governments should be judged on innovation and improved citizen welfare without factoring utilisation of foreign resources that would have still poured into particular economies irregardless of who won the election or who is at the helm........give her a chance, lets not behave like our ancestors in being afraid to be challenged by a different way of looking at things, at some point aid will dry up, we have to ready ourselves........shes just blowing the horn, as uncomfortable as she may make us the future is heading our way....

I am in love again, totally smitten, this time with Dambisa's way of thinking, Go girl Go!

Dambisa's website: http://www.dambisamoyo.com/

Huffington Post debate: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dambisa-moyo/aid-ironies-a-response-to_b_207772.html

If you are on Facebook search for her page.