Should aid be stopped to African countries??

Question

there are some arguments that the only way to help African economies is to cut all aid from richer countries, so that they are no longer dependent. Was just wondering what opinions you guys had on this topic...

Answer 1

Amen Yes. Stop treating them like helpless children.
Read this interview with a Kenyan economist. Interesting.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,363663,00.html

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Answer 2

Well you have two questions here.

First Should aid be stopped to African countries?
Yes. It kills an untold number of people each year and has huge humanitarian and fiscal cost each year. My only reservation is that its spreading is dependent on human behavior and so to prevent its spread we would need to change the behavior of the populace.

Malaria can however be fixed without sweeping social change and has been successfully eradicated in southern Europe and in the southern 2/3 of the USA. Its a proven concept and by comparison much cheaper. Its just not the kind of thing that wins awards so no one bothers. BTW Malaria kills easly 10x the number of people that aids does each year.

Second I think that many of Africa's problem are linked to the constant external funding. It stifles their economy and prevents social responsibility. Futher it has allowed for the creation of an unsuportable population which is completely dependent on the aide. Cutting aid would simple cause the death of this popluation. So in the end its realy a loose loose situation.

Answer 3

I think you are asking the wrong question. It's not that we should or should not be giving aid to Africa. The real question that we need to ask and answer is how to give aid in such a way that it actually HELPS Africa.

The evidence is pretty clear: After 50 years of aid flow to Africa, average income today in most African countries is either the same or has fallen since 1960.

We need to put more effort into understanding which projects work and which do not. What countries need to have in place in order to effectively use foreign aid.

Answer 4

Poor Africa!!!! The motherland!! Africa has so many problems and AIDS being a very, very big one. I would hope that as humans we would come out of "self" and be generous if we can be to others. It is a shame that there are millions of children that are orphans because of this disease. Most people in Africa have no medicine for the AIDS virus, so they just die. It is such a shame. I think that not only should we send aid that we should educate them. Show them how to do things. I am all for making this world a better place.

Answer 5

Foreign Aid should be suspended until the African countries set up economic institutions allowing them to tax their citizens. Taxation with representation is what gives the government legitimacy and holds the people accountable to the state as well as the state to its people.