Independence? Try 'aid-dependence'

Colonialism didn't cause Africa's problems, and aid alone won't fix them.

March 11, 2007 by Niall Ferguson, Los Angeles Times

EVER BEEN HAD? Last year, the United States Agency for International Development gave Ghana $22.5 million in food aid

Last Monday, that same country began a 12-month celebration of its independence from British rule, which was granted 50 years ago, on March 5, 1957. The total budget for these festivities, which commenced with an all-night party in Accra, is said to be $20 million.

You might reasonably ask if this is a sensible way of spending $20 million at a time when the typical citizen of Ghana has a daily income of $1.33. You might also ask what exactly Ghana has to celebrate after 50 years of "freedom."

Let us not pretend that Gold Coast, as the country was known before independence, was a flourishing economy. The average Briton was 39 times richer than the colony's average inhabitant. But Gold Coast was seen as one of the most advanced of Britain's African possessions, which was one reason it was the first to be granted independence.

Yet the economic consequences of independence gave the lie to the old leftist claim that Britain was exploiting its colonies.* Between 1960 and today, the gap between Britain and Ghana has more than doubled, so that the average Briton is now 92 times richer than the average Ghanaian.* Today, according to the World Bank, aid accounts for 16% of Ghana's national income and covers fully 73% of government expenditures.

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* Das ist natürlich eine äußerst verkürzte Betrachtungsweise, mit der ich mich nicht identifizieren möchte! Denn die Frage, warum das so ist, wird nicht näher analysiert, sondern nur impliziert, dass bad Governance daran Schuld ist. Wirtschaftspolitische Fragen wie (Verfall der) Terms of Trade etc. werden erst gar nicht, nicht einmal ansatzweise, angerissen. Ich habe den Artikel nur gepostet, da ich mit dem Thema "Aid Dependency" voll übereinstimme. So kommt Afrika nicht vom Fleck, im Gegenteil!