Eliminating the Culture of Dependence in Africa

It is 2013 and the West still sees Africa as very dependent on foreign aid. In fact the word “dependent” is pushing it because Africa does not need all the foreign aid she receives. Yes, some economies are still in need of it but most of it is not used well or appropriately.   Africa has been deemed “dependent” on foreign aid for some years now. The West keeps injecting foreign aid into Africa yet it seems to be getting poorer and more” dependent” by the years. The notion of poor African countries needing foreign aid to survive is getting old and very ineffective, especially when there seems to be no results.

In my opinion, the West does not really care about the welfare of Africans that is just the image it is trying to portray. You know that “so many people are dying in African and it is our civil duty to help” image.  It is all profit centered. If there was no money to be tapped from Africa, foreign aid wouldn’t be so prevalent- or even be there at all. It is like a bargain, I give your country money for development (even if the money really isn’t used for development) but I get first dibs on your Country’s resources. The west does not care about human rights in African countries neither do they care about corruption. If the West puts in the same amount of energy it puts in foreign aid into fighting against the breeching of human rights and corruption, these countries would do so much better.  Foreign aid is crippling African countries and thwarting them from breaking out of the very old realm of colonization. The culture of giving Africa foreign aid is slowly teaching Africans to be complacent, uncreative and needy.  

In my opinion foreign aid should be temporary; it should be given to countries in large sums only after wars, natural disasters and other such ailments that can potentially destroy a country’s well being. It shouldn’t be given on a long term basis especially.

 The West needs to stop perceiving Africans as beggars and vice versa. Africa existed and thrived  before she became the white man’s burden, before colonization, before the whole idea of us needing “foreign aid” , so why would it stop existing and thriving if foreign aid stops?

 “ True independence would come to Africa only when the continent boosts its internal trade and rids itself of its dependence on external aid," Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said during a state visit to Botswana in September 2012.

-  Jasmine Mbadugha

For in depth information, read these articles:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123758895999200083.html

http://allafrica.com/stories/201304050919.html?page=3

http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/spiegel-interview-with-african-economics-expert-for-god-s-sake-please-stop-the-aid-a-363663.html