Andrew M Mwenda: aid creates the wrong incentives for progress

Leading Ugandan commentator Andrew M Mwenda says there is little evidence to show that foreign aid provides impetus for economic growth in African countries Andrew Mwenda in front of the Norwegian parliament. Photograph: Heidi Nordby Lunde, flickr.com/people/98724597@N00 The recent G8 Summit in Japan upheld earlier calls for doubling foreign financial aid to Africa as a solution to poverty on the continent. These calls are grossly flawed. Countries that have succeeded in getting the vast majority of their citizens out of poverty have done so by sustaining economic growth over many decades. The challenge for Africa, therefore, is how to generate sustained economic growth over generations. There is little evidence to show that foreign aid provides impetus for economic growth. Over the last 40 years, Africa has received over... [read full story]