African Addiction to Aid

Introduction: I came across this article on BBC and I felt it was a really important topic to write about. Because this blog post will not nearly cover all the information I want, I highly recommend reading the Source as it was written by an African Journalist who formerly lived in Sierra Leone. Along with that, I highly recommend watching the video on the original article as I find it truly eye opening.

The Story: Africa today has the potential to be one of the greatest continents on the planet. It is rich in natural resources, population, and the perfect climate for great agriculture. However, the continent only represents 1% of international trade. This is due primarily to poor leadership, corruption, and over 50 years of foreign aid.

What is commonly unknown is that Africa has the power to one day be a lead contributor on the global markets. What is stopping them? Mainly their addiction on foreign aid.

Let's start with the corrupt leaders that have stalled Africa's progress in growth. Doctors, nurses, and teachers, feeling underpaid, often steal drugs that are meant to be freely distributed and sell them on the black market. The black market dealers often overcharge for these drugs keeping a majority of African's from receiving the aid they deserve. Corrupt politicians also use this method, using their profit to stay in power despite the will of the people. Over half of the government budget comes from this form of foreign aid.

These corrupt leaders use this aid money to build many new schools, hospitals, and other facilities which make them look good to the voters. However, most of the schools do not have sufficient teachers or even lack teachers altogether. Hospitals often lack the facilities and equipment to care for patients leaving new mothers and their babies laying on the floor next to improperly disposed syringes. Aid money is going toward the support of these failing facilities while the small successes are completely ignored.

One young man in Sierra Leone started selling potatoes at the age of 17. He now owns the largest store in the village. This young man has received $0 in aid money, yet has been very successful in his life so far. It is the opinion of one native man that,

"If aid were to offer this young man support in the form of low interest credit he could not only expand his business offering employment opportunities and a valuable service to his community, he could also eventually pay the money back."

With the rich agriculture nature of Africa, exports should be off the charts. However, this massive income of foreign aid money severely inflates the value of the local currency. This results in much fewer exports. For example, the cotton industry of Uganda has the potential to export half a million bales of cotton per year yielding a mighty high profit. Unfortunately, in 2008, they have only exported 160,000 bales.

It also does not help that many of the graduates, mainly trained by foreign aid, are leaving their home continent. These skilled individuals are unable to stay in Africa due to extremely low salaries. It is a goal to get these educated people to stay and help bring about the change in Africa from it's own people instead of relying completely on the foreign aid like it has done thus far.

Source
Video

xPirate's Thoughts: I do believe strongly that Africa's problems need to be solved by their own people instead of their constant dependence on foreign aid. It is up to the people to spark a revolution and get these corrupt leaders out of position. It is up to the people to go into the stores selling what should be free medicine and demand it be given to them. Africa is in dire need of social reform and that will only come when the people force it to happen.

Of course, how can they? Many of them are starving or suffering from disease. They can't worry about a revolution. I don't know. It seems like all of Africa's problems spiral down on each other in a way that seems unsolvable. While I can't offer a direct solution, I think that these problems can be solved and one day Africa will be a major part of the world's economy and a world power.