Sadiq Manzan on Forna's
I simply want to say a BIG "Thank You" to Aminatta Forna for her reportage on Sierra Leone (Sa Lone, as it's popularly called). Although her article is based on only one (and special) case, I think it also shows very clearly how problematic foreign aid can be in general.
Instead of constantly asking for aid, we should be doing more work on getting the global trade system changed so that our producing classes can compete fairly. That, combined with accountability at home, will improve the lives of hundreds of millions of Africans as well minimize the instabilities that have characterized Africa in the last several decades.
To be sure, there are no easy solutions, but foreign aid is certainly the last "solution" we should be trying, except of course in situations of severe humanitarian crises (particularly those caused by natural disasters).
Why and how is it that many of our scholars don't seem to get this simple point?
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