Aid to Africa is not the answer
The sight of Bob Geldof parading his millionaire ego here in London at Holy rood is more than I can bear.
Yes, the plight of sub-Saharan Africa is desperate, but it will be cured by hard economic logic rather than pop-star emotion.
Geldof thinks African poverty is the fault of the Western World. He thinks they are not giving Africa enough free financial aid - an extra £50 billion a year, or roughly the entire national income of Scotland, would be handy.
He also wants the West to forgive all debt interest owed by African governments - I've seen numerous conflicting estimates, but we're in the billions-a-year category. And he is anxious that the G8 summit open their economies to African imports without expecting the same in return.
This will be called "fair trade" he says.
The whole point about borrowing is that you invest and end up richer than you started, even after paying back the loan. H
ow come
most of Africa is now poorer than when the loans began?
Western aid has corrupted generations of African politicians as it is the fastest route to riches for the local elite.
The problem is how to break the perpetual cycle of charity enfeebling sub-Saharan Africa, funding its civil wars, corrupting its politicians and making Africans hate the West for its patronising western ways.
Geldof, please note.
Paul Henry Kayuki
London
Paul Henry..you no doubt raise valid points!
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