To aid or not to aid ...

... das ist nicht exakt die Frage hier, aber ein neues Buch beschäftigt sich mit dem für mich sehr sympatischen Thema “The trouble with Aid” von Johnnie Glennie. Auf dem BetterAid.org-Blog heißt es dazu:

"Johnnie Glennie asks [in his book] whether we are missing the point by putting too much of our energy into campaigning for more aid. Everyone agrees we want better aid, but should there be more or less, and does it do any good? This debate has kicked off again both on the Guardian’s Katine blog and betweeen Glennie and Oxfam’s Duncan Green, author of another new book From Poverty to Power on the latter’s blog.

Read the rest of this entry »"

Danke, Johnnie, well done!

About the Book

Africa is poor. If we send it money it will be less poor. It seems perfectly logical, doesn't it? Millions of people in the rich world, moved by images on television and appalled by the miserable conditions endured by so many in other countries, have joined campaigns to persuade their governments to double aid to Africa and help put an end to such shameful inequality.

It seems simple. But it isn't. In this book, Jonathan Glennie argues that, along with its many benefits, government aid to Africa has often meant more poverty, more hungry people, worse basic services and damage to already precarious democratic institutions. Moreover, calls for more aid are drowning out pressure for action that would really make a difference for Africa’s poor. Rather than doubling aid to Africa, it is time to reduce aid dependency. Through an honest assessment of both the positive and negative consequences of aid, this book will show you why.

Mehr >> hier

HLF 3: Aid-Bashing to Go High-Fashion in Accra

Ich kann ihn auch nicht mehr hören, den Ruf nach mehr Geld in der EZ!

www.ghanaweb.com:

Feature Article of Saturday, 26 July 2008

" (...)
The damaging effects of increased aid, even the type that ticks all the checkboxes on the "best practice evaluation form" on the culture of enterprise and innovation, as has been oft-lamented by African entrepreneurs like Herman Chinery-Hesse, will scant receive attention. Herman's concerns that even the most conscientious technocrats, like a number he is acquainted with in his native Ghana, become impediments to innovation and enterprise in an aid-dominated political culture, which is the case across Africa, are unlikely to be heard.

Expect every call to be about the need to increase aid and to improve "participation". Participation will, as we have argued above, mean the same thing as "increase aid". But actually, to be fair, the exact meaning is: "Increase Aid With Style".

Bright B. Simons & Franklin Cudjoe are Libertarians affiliated with IMANI (www.imanighana.com) and www.AfricaLiberty.org"

>> entire article

Links:

>> High-Level Forum 3 on Aid Effectiveness (1. - 4. Sept, Accra/Ghana. Nachfolgekonferenz des HLF 2 in 2005 in Paris, die die Paris Declaration hervorbrachte)

>> Civil Society Forum on Aid Effectiveness (1. - 4. Sept, Accra/Ghana. Parallelveranstaltung der CSOs zum HLF 3)

World Bank and IMF: do they really want better aid?

July 18th, 2008, by Nuria Molina

While governments are struggling to get an agreement on the third draft of the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA), the World Bank and the IMF are blocking the negotiations in a number of issues, including progress on conditionality – according to some rumours. They are not alone in this business, as they count on the active contribution by representatives from Japan, the US or even Canada at times.

Conditionality, predictability of aid, and the use of country systems in aid delivery are three of the issues which they seem to be blocking the most. Progressive proposals on these issues have been tabled and are being discussed. But the IMF and the World Bank are not keen in supporting progress on these fronts. To the contrary, they seem to be blocking agreement on more ambitious wording on these issues in the AAA.

>> Read more (The Better Aid Blog)

May we have the Queen back, please?

THE OUTSIDER: May we have the Queen back, please?

For the attention of Mr. Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of Great Britain;

Dear Sir,

I hope this letter reaches you in good health. I am a young man writing from Accra, the capital of Ghana. I hope you know where my country is. If you don't, I am very sure that at least you know who my president is. He's that tall, lanky African president – the one with the bulging eyes – who came to you recently to beg for some money to provide free medical care for pregnant women in his country. His name is John Kufuor.
(…)
My people are really grateful to you, Mr. Brown. I am very sure that if you come and run for election here, you will win by a landslide. Now, I hear you are having some political problems and that you are not so keen on calling a general election anytime soon. I'm reliably informed that the pollsters' numbers do not favour you at all and that if you dare call an election, you will most probably lose. Why not come down and contest in our elections in December?
I know you might have some doubts about your chances, especially if you go to the history books and read about how we kicked out your people some fifty years ago, telling them that "the black man is capable of managing his own affairs". We also said we were "ready to take our destinies into our own hands." But it was all a joke. That guy who said all that – I mean Kwame Nkrumah – didn't know what he was talking about. He was a 'wet dreamer' who thought his nocturnal emissions can turn into milk and honey for the black race. Fifty years on, Mr. Brown, I am very sure that you will agree with me that we have not quite managed to take our destinies into our own hands yet.

Do you think that if we were capable of managing our own affairs our president would have come to you five decades after we stopped flying the Union Jack with a cup in hand to beg you for money to take care of his pregnant women compatriots?

Mr. Brown, I think independence was a big mistake. Please, tell the Queen that we are sorry and that we will like to have her back, with you as the first governor of our first post-independence colonial administration. I'm very sure a very large number of my compatriots will agree with me that since we stopped flying the Union Jack, our country has been ushered into a new 'colonialism' that clearly shows that we shouldn't have kicked you people out in the first place. "Our national football team has never been entrusted to a Ghanaian, our water is in the hands of the Dutch, our roads are built by the Chinese, Presidential Palace built by Indians, waste by the Belgians, and our Telecom sector is now earmarked for an Anglo-American company," one of my compatriots said recently.
(…)
For fifty years, we have done our best to manage our own affairs but the results have always been worst than anyone could have imagined. Our health system is in no better shape than your forefathers left it. Korle Bu, the hospital built by one of your ancestors, is still our major teaching hospital. But it is now like a transit point to the graveyard. If you go there and you don't die, you will come back home with memories you don't want to keep.

Our people come to your country to get the best education (and some of them even return speaking like they were born in Buckingham Palace). Every morning, hundreds of my compatriots form a long queue (what we like to call a "lorgorligi line") in front of your high commission here – just to get a visa to come to your country. In fact, the situation in the country is so bad that even our president doesn't like staying here. Since he became president, he has made it clear that travelling is his favourite past time. Whiles travelling, he has been wise enough to beg other world leaders to help us out. He has begged for (and received) money from the Japanese, the Chinese, the Americans, the Koreans and even from the Malaysians. It's very undignifying for a country formerly known as the Gold Coast to go around begging. That's something we never did when we used to sing "God save the Queen."

Mr. Brown, I know you are a very busy man so I won't bore you with the litany of misfortunes that have befallen us since we told the Queen to sod off. But I'm asking you to kindly go to her and tell her that we are sorry and that we will be more than delighted to have her as our Queen once again. We don't have any lose cannons like Kwame Nkrumah running around anymore and I'm sure that if she came – possibly with you – we will never kick her out again.
We have learnt our lessons.

Independence was a bad idea.

>> vollständiger Artikel (Ghanaweb)

One More reason Why Foreign Aid stinks . . .

From: "Franklin Cudjoe"

Ghanaian Government blows more than $1.4m on gold medals.

Only in Africa will prominence be placed on luxurious items as Presidential Jets, palaces, gold-plated cars and medallions forofficialdom at the expense of public infrastructure and open sewers that spread disease.

To think that gold medals for supposedly national heroes (when in actual fact, the economy stagnates) in a 'poor' country will cost US $ 1.5 million can't be described as modest. Never mind that Ghana's President can purchase two Presidential jets under dodgy circumstances, completely shutting our the country's Parliament from the initial purchasing

arrangements.

However, be sure that at the next available photo-opportunity with G-8 leaders we'll be begging for more Aid dollars. If only these Aid givers knew…

Meanwhile in an interview with the BBC, IMANI's Bright Simons said "If the [National Gold Awards] process had succeeded in building a lot of reconciliation across the political spectrum, it would have been worth it," he added.

Mr Simons said the intention was honourable, but suggested the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), could have managed the event better - by including members from across the political divide in an independent awards committee."

Please read more at >> http://www.africanliberty.org/node/298 and
>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7502716.stm

The North re-colonising the South?

"Responding to questions on the sale of Ghana Telecom (GT) shares, [Dr. Thompson] said, 'we have a situation where our national football team is seemingly never entrusted to a Ghanaian, our water is in the hands of the Dutch, our roads are built by the Chinese, the Presidential Palace is being built by Indians, waste by the Belgians, and our Telecom sector is now earmarked for an Anglo-American company.'

[He] said further that the CPP was opposed to the continuing erosion and reversal of the living standards of our people, adding, 'this approach was undermining our self-confidence as a nation and a people.'

He said many people saw what was going on as a grand conspiracy by developed countries to re-colonise us by taking over our strategic industries - utilities, media, telecoms, describing it as a case of 're-colonization by invitation.' "

>> entire article

Unheilvolle Allianz zwischen EL-Elite und der Industrie der Geberländer

Fast genau 33 Jahre ist es her, da habe ich an der TU Hannover am Institut für Landesplanung und Raumforschung meine Diplomarbeit über ein EL-Thema geschrieben, im Fach Raumwirtschaftslehre (Christaller und seine Zentrale-Orte-Theorie lassen grüßen, oder die der Entwicklungsachsen und Entwicklungspole). Da ich dann anschließend 3 Jahre beim Regionalverband Großraum Hannover als Planer gearbeitet habe, bevor es mich nach Afrika gezogen hat, entwickelte sich mit meinem damaligen Professor, Hans Günter Barth, ein freundschaftliches Verhältnis. Er war u.a. begeisterter Segler und wir haben in seiner Jolle auf dem Steinhuder Meer so manche Partie gesegelt, allerdings auch so manche Flaute geschoben. In der Alten Moorhütte konnten wir die Flaute dann mit einem Bauernfrühstück und einem Moorgeist (oder auch mehreren, je nach Flaute), einem fürchterlichen Rachenputzer, kompensieren.

Während der Segelpartien hat er mir immer von seinem großen Traum erzählt, nach der Pensionierung auf dem Mittelmeer mit einer richtigen Segelyacht rum zu schippern. Was soll ich sagen, er hat sich diesen Traum erfüllt und seinen (Un-) Ruhestand in die Nähe von Izmir in der Türkei verlegt. Und macht seitdem als Captain Hassan die Gegend im Ägäischen Meer unsicher.
Kürzlich kam dann mal wieder ein Lebenszeichen von "meinem alten Professor" und ich habe ihn gebeten, in meinen Blog zu schauen und mir seine Meinung dazu zu posten. Ich muss noch erwähnen, dass er auch einmal für die GTZ in Jordanien gearbeitet hat, das EZ-Geschäft also von Innen kennt.

Hier ist nun die Antwort, wobei sich zeigt, einmal Professor, immer Professor – mit dem Ergebnis (Bewertung) kann ich aber gut leben! Ob Afrika das kann, steht auf einem ganz anderen Blatt: aufoktroyierte Strukturanpassungsprogramme, Wirtschaftsreformen zur vollen Weltmarktintegration, Economic Partnership Agreements etc. lassen grüßen.

(Hervorhebung KDL)

Betr.: Deine Auslassungen im INTERNET zur Agrarpolitik in den USA und EU

Lieber Klaus,

ich habe alles gelesen, interessant, für mich eigentlich nichts Neues, wiewohl ich das im Großen und Ganzen unterstreichen kann.

Was hast Du denn gedacht auf welcher Basis Politik gemacht wird, insbesondere auch die Politik für die sog. Entwicklungsländer?

Sie wird hauptsächlich als ein Instrument gesehen, um den Fuß ­mehr oder weniger weit in der dortigen Wirtschaft zu haben … unsere Absatzmärkte von morgen wurde in der Anfangszeit unverhohlen kommentiert. Nur so lassen sich die Milliarden gegenüber Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft rechtfertigen, die wir dort hineinpumpen. Und die Lobbyisten stecken doch überall mit drin, wenn es um wichtige Entscheidungen geht, das wurde doch neulich ganz offen in der deutschen Öffentlichkeit diskutiert!

Nur, lieber Klaus, wie willst Du praktische Entwicklungsarbeit machen, wenn Du die Herrschenden ausklammern willst? Ich habe das alles damals in Jordanien hautnah miterlebt. Es wird nur das realisiert, über das es ein Regierungsabkommen gibt … und das gibt es i.d.R. nur, wenn sich die Herrschenden/Entscheider vor Ort dabei die Taschen voll stopfen können bzw. irgendwie davon profitieren.

In der realen Entwicklungsländerpolitik herrscht eine (nicht formal) unheilvolle Allianz zwischen sog. Elite und der Industrie der Geberländer vor. Natürlich haben die im Lande keinen direkten Kontakt zur deutschen Industrie, die Politik aber ist der Helfershelfer (gewollt oder ungewollt) dazwischen.

Ich kann Dir nur von meinen Erfahrungen in Jordanien berichten: in dem Augenblick, wie ich versuchte, diese Praxis zu unterlaufen, bekam ich Ärger -- verdeckt natürlich, offen wird das nicht gesagt -- mit der GTZ, die immer das BMWZ vorschob und umgekehrt.

Aber, lieber Klaus, Du schreibst im INTERNET, so also einem großen Publikum zugänglich … dann formuliere nüchterner, das ist glaubhafter, und unterlasse Worte wie verbrecherisch und ähnliche Wertungen, die Du letztlich nur vermuten kannst aber nicht begründen. Du kannst und sollst aus Deinem unmittelbaren Erfahrungsschatz heraus berichten. Es ist besser, glaubhafter und weniger angreifbar, wenn Du nüchtern Fakten aufzählst, Folgen beschreibst und Ursachen analysierst.

Generell trifft Deine Einschätzung zu, insbesondere für die gängige Entwicklungspolitik mit ihrer Verzahnung zur Wirtschaftspolitik, aber unterlasse emotionale Äusserungen, die gehören an den Stammtisch oder zum 4-Augengespräch, so etwas kannst Du dann immer wieder dementieren.

Lieber Klaus, die Menschen waren noch nie altruistisch, nur in den Gedanken von Weltverbesserern kreiste dieser Wunsch herum. Politik ist auch und besonders ein Instrument zur Durchsetzung unseres utilitaristischen Verhaltens. Du selbst profitierst davon, in dem Du als ausländischer Experte gefragt bist, bzw. dort arbeiten darfst. Ich könnte das noch viel mehr und profunder argumentierend ausführen. Aber ich bin ja emekli Professor und da schlagen wir uns mit so etwas nicht mehr all zu sehr herum. Im Prinzip habe ich dennoch immer noch viel zu tun. Gute Freunde wollen mich unbedingt dazu bringen, noch an einer der UNIs zu lehren…wozu….!?

Vielleicht ergibt sich einmal die Gelegenheit, Gedanken im Vieraugengespräch auszutauschen … kommst Du denn auch mal in die Türkei oder in die Nähe wenigstens? Wir könnten uns ja einmal treffen!

Viele Grüße

Hans Günter

--

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr.habil. Hans Günter Barth
TR - 09400 Kusadasi/Aydin
Turkey