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Why Foreign Aid Is Hurting Africa Essay

Decent Essays

Benefield, Alicia
February 14, 2013
INR3932-03
Paper 1

Why Foreign Aid is Hurting Africa

In this article Dambisa Moyo, is arguing that money, in the form of aid given to African nations has not only trapped many of these nations in debt, but has started a cycle of corruption as well as slowed down economic growth and poverty. To solve this isuue Moyo suggests cutting off the flow of aid to these African nations. Many developed countries will gladly give aid to Africa, these countries do not give small donations they donate by the millions. This continued donation of aid has only been putting Africa further in debt. What many do not realize is that aid is not given to Africa freely, the African nations receiving aid must pay this …show more content…

This is because the donations are being given with “no strings attached” so the funds are being used for everything except what they were meant for, development. Political elites are using these funds to finace their own expidentures as well as financing their families and home life. The other problem is countries like the U.S. Implementing programs like the U.S. Food for Peace program, which buys American food and ships it overseas to African nations. This program is not helpful, it is a hinderance to Africas economic growth. By supplying American food for free, the U.S. is putting African farmers out of business. Moyo suggests that instead of purchasing American food, they U.S. could purchase food from the African farmers to distribute to the African nations. Done this way the African farmers are benefitting from the program and are able to compete in the market.
The opinions presented in this article relate to many of the concepts we have touched on in this course; views on poverty, the development, as well as the international aid system. The article opens up stating “A month ago I visited Kiberam the larget slum in Africa” (Moyo, 2009). When we hear the word slum, we perceive a negative connotation and relate this term with a place in poverty. We can see the inequalities between developed and undeveloped nations, according to the article

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