Is pouring more financial aid into Africa the best way to help that continent develop?

Saturday 31st May, 11:00 AM JST

Latest 15 of 22 Total Comments Show All

Damax6 at 08:29 AM JST - 3rd June

i wonder what is the percentage of people who voted NOT for more aid is white?.
capone at 04:32 PM JST - 3rd June

damax, why would that matter ? if you look intelligently, objectively at the situation, you see that piles of money have already been wasted/misused by african 'leaders'...anybody can see that, black or white
change at 11:20 PM JST - 3rd June

borscht, I agree with you. JT has taking sides by using the word 'pouring' And they just ask us to support their position. So, Im not going to comment on that in particular. My comment is to those who are going to contribute henceforth. One thing I observed when they came here is that, they did not come asking for more aid. All they asked for is fair trade(Please don't confuse it with the organic food thing called Fairtrade) So give them fair trade practices and they can fend for themselves better than the present 'aid' And let us remind ourselves that Africa is not a country
Sarge at 11:22 PM JST - 3rd June

How many billions have been thrown at African countries only for these countries to continue to be basket cases?
blaze524 at 09:42 AM JST - 4th June

Granted, the World Bank and IMF polices (i.e. structural adjustment) have been instrumental in the continued raping of Africa for her resources, however a large part of the blame must also be placed at the foot of the corrupt government officials.
Africanist at 04:41 PM JST - 4th June

The ignorance of some people here:

Africa's base problem is over population

Africa has so many problems, but overpopulation isn't one. However, the typical Liberal Democrat solution, throwing money, won't work. How about helping Africa with educational grants, bringing their intellectuals to Japan to study Japanese success? Let them find their own solutions.
Bovinus at 09:01 PM JST - 4th June

I logged in to say 'loaded question' but I've been beaten to it. 'Pouring' in this context means wasting and wasting is bad by definition. So it's impossible to answer 'yes' without rephrasing the question in your mind.

Not every country in Africa is a basket case and in many cases aid has saved thousands of lives and increased quality of life. It's good to see Japan is increasing aid to Africa even though they have less obligation than countries that have screwed up Africa in the past (US, Britain, many other European countries).
usaexpat at 11:18 PM JST - 4th June

Africanist thanks for bringing some sense to this debate. I agree with you 100% as local solutions to local problems are always the only sustainable path. I would couple those educational exchanges with funding for projects as well but throwing money at Africa that corrupt leaders steal is just more of the same.
TheDonald at 02:47 PM JST - 5th June

IMHO, Africa (many localities therein) needs a swift kick in the ass. Colonial interests need a swift kick out, and it's people need to be orchestrated into the funded rebuilding of their own nations. They can do it if the fighting is stomped down on by considerably more powerful outside force and if the leaders are pretty much bypassed. What you have is a continent full of multiple-victims of all this and what needs to happen is that A: The free world takes Africa seriously and drops the boom on the forces within causing problem. In a world where the best countries like to play world police, it doesn't make any sense that there is even one crevice of earth where one group of thugs can chase villiages of people around with guns terrorizing them, largely unopposed. Why? Because no one seems to give enough of a damn about real suffering and real people being oppressed and real terrorism happening clear and presently unless by some chance there's profit to be had.
nisegaijin at 10:50 AM JST - 6th June

Oh my good, how can you say no when you see that poor mother with 16 kids starve? If you are starving, why the hell do you shoot out 16 kids?!
Triple888 at 10:54 AM JST - 6th June

If pouring money into the population (generally whom do not generate anything from the money) makes a country rich then the world would have no poor people. Pouring money into money-generating people is another matter and that is worth the cause.
rajakumar at 02:07 PM JST - 6th June

Pouring money on people poor or rich,makes a world of no poor people.

Careful what we wish for, we just might get it all. No poor people world, is a world of new problems and rich diseases, that comes with it.
nimbus at 09:58 AM JST - 7th June

Excuse me for being ignorant. Of course Africa does not have an over population problem that’s why almost all of the twenty countries with the highest birth rates are in Africa.
Africanist at 04:20 PM JST - 11th June

Nimbus, do you know the difference between birth rate (%) and population size (x million)? AAMOF the low population density in Africa is a major reason Africa has the same high birth rates everyone else had decades or centuries ago. They're still trying to fill up their continent. They don't see, unless they come to China, India or Japan, what could happen if they don't stop soon.
JoeBigs at 11:56 AM JST - 4th July

Damax6-> Nope I am Cuban, the problem with Africa is the governments in Africa. A majority of these countries are corrupt and before the aid gets to the people that need it it gets stolen. So how does it benefit the Africans when the only people benefiting from the aid are the black marketeers?

What needs to be done is help educate the populations and peacefully convince the powers tat be to have fair and open elections. Then the aid will get to the people.

How can anyone claim that this thinking is racist when it is logical?