In 2012, the United States donated $12 billion in foreign aid to Africa, and this number was projected to increase. (Acemoglu, Daron, Robinson) Despite these large donations, more than a quarter of the countries in Africa are poorer now than in 1960, with no sign that foreign aid will bring an end to poverty. Foreign aid has helped pull other countries out of poverty, but Africa faces political corruption and a stagnant, overly dependent society that prevents them from escaping the vicious cycle known as aid dependency.
Political corruption in Africa has caused foreign aid to fail, and even become counter intuitive. To better understand the political corruption in Africa, consider the Angolan president’s daughter, the richest woman in Africa. She is a billionaire that makes fortunes by taking chunks of companies or simply through the signature of her father. She lives this extravagant life while only a quarter of Angolans had access to electricity in 2009 and a third are living on incomes of less than $2 a day. (Acemoglu, Daron, Robinson) Monetary aid to Africa is plagued by corrupt political leaders, because aid to these countries will more likely help the president’s children rather than other citizens. Because of these unbalanced opportunities, the citizens of Africa are divested of basic necessities. Thus, the poor do not have the capability to pull themselves out of poverty because the basic ability to do so is denied them. (Acemoglu, Daron, Robinson) The economic impediments the common citizens face derive from the way political power is exercised and monopolised by the corrupt government of Africa.
With the constant supply of aid, societal progress is stagnant, and people tend to get trapped in the cycle of aid dependency. Food aid is particularly criticised for this, because the increased dependency on food imports stifles the incentive for local food production because of the reduced market demand. This idea is shown in the situation of Haiti, which relies on cheap US imports for over 80% of grain stocks after the US aided the country with food exports. (Stanford) To counteract this trend of aid dependency, experts say that Trump’s foreign policy of “America First,” withdrawing from support in Africa, is an example of how Africa can climb out of the financial trouble it is facing. (Mutiga, Murithi) The Democratic Republic of Congo has a reported $24 trillion of untapped resources under the ground, yet it is still one of the poorest countries on earth. (Mutiga, Murithi) The continent has huge potential that has been left unexploited due to its tendency to rely on the West for its sustenance. Africa should see this new foreign policy as an opportunity to end the culture of dependency and attempt to reshape its future. Experts suggest that in order for Africa to grow in a sustained way, foreign aid will have to be dramatically reduced over time, forcing countries to adopt more transparent strategies for finance development. (Moyo)
An old Chinese proverb once said, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Foreign aid is by all means a great benefit to those in need, but when it comes to Africa, monetary donations have not lifted the country out of poverty. Political justice, equal opportunities, and a sense of national pride and innovation can be the hand that pulls Africa to its feet again.
Works Cited
Acemoglu, Daron, and James A. Robinson. "Why Foreign Aid Fails - and How to Really Help Africa." The Spectator. The Spectator, 27 Jan. 2014. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.
Moyo, Dambisa."Aid dependency blights Africa. The cure is in the credit crisis could be the cure." Independent [London, England] 2 Feb. 2009: 28. Global Issues in Context. Web. 8 Mar. 2017.
Mutiga, Murithi. "Trump Offers Africa Chance to Kick Aid Addiction and Chart Its Own Path." Daily Nation. N.p., 22 Jan. 2017. Web. 7 Mar. 2017.
Stanford, Victoria. "Aid Dependency: The Damage of Donation." This Week in Global Health. Twigh, 31 July 2015. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.
I really liked how you used the Angolan president's daughter as evidence, it was effective and well written. Your concluding paragraph was also very good, especially when you used the proverb. Do you think Trump's "America First" policy will provoke Africa to be more self sustaining?
ReplyDeleteI liked that the article was concise and easy to read, and the proverb at the end was a good way to cap off the paper. Do you think Africa will be able to lessen the gap between the upper and lower classes?
ReplyDeleteI really liked your conclusion, because the chinese proverb was very clever and matched with your main idea very well. I think my biggest take-away is that donating to these nations doesn't actually help them.
ReplyDeleteThis article was really great to read, I enjoyed your key descriptive words and the overall flow of your argument
ReplyDeleteMy main take away was how donations really affect these nations, and the proverb really stried my interest
DeleteGood job Andrew. Funny, we actually did the same topic. What I enjoyed about your article was that you presented the reasons why foreign aid was failing, and what the constant foreign aid meant for the future of Africa. My main take-away is that this is not a new issue, that this has been going on for a long time, and that foreign governments that supply aid need to reevaluate their initiatives for the good of Africa. Do you think that Trump's foreign aid policy will work? If so, do you think all countries should follow his example?
ReplyDelete