Comments on: Saving Africa http://jeffnolan.com/wp/2007/10/15/saving-africa/ Jeff Nolan's take on investment, innovation, entrepreneurship and the technology industry Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:44:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: James Farrar http://jeffnolan.com/wp/2007/10/15/saving-africa/comment-page-1/#comment-178338 James Farrar Tue, 16 Oct 2007 21:36:15 +0000 http://jeffnolan.com/wp/2007/10/15/saving-africa/#comment-178338 Jeff I read your post and the link to Strategy Page with interest. To be honest I was disappointed with the analysis. The report cited in the excerpt you posted is not refernced in the article so we do not know which report this is and which NGO's commissioned and carried out the research. The report makes some really outrageous claims: ''For most nations, Africa is seen (at least in private discussions) as a lost cause, best left to the NGOs for hospice care, until the old order finally dies'' Says who, exactly? The fact is the business climate in Africa has improved marginally. Nigeria for example cleared it's foreign debt. However, the real trick will be to open these markets to trade with the west: we can wait for a thousand generations to die off and the problems will still remain so long as these markets are closed out to the forces of economic development and global trade. ''NGOs are rather more reluctant to tackle the ancient and persistent problems of government corruption and tribal animosity. NGOs also do not like to discuss the role they play in prolonging wars, by providing food and other supplies to the armed groups'' : see Transparency International, Global Witness, Publish What You Pay, International Alert, Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative and Kimberly Process to name a few. ''However, NGOs have a tendency to take better care of themselves, than the people they are supposed to be aiding in a time of great need.'' -I think this is unfounded and it is the kind of message and rumour that suggests donor money is wasted and embezzled and so discourages aid. Check out Save the Children's website. At the bottom of the page you can see a pie chart display promising 90% of donations go directly to service provision. One statement that is the money is this: ''The NGOs have come to be so active in all these trouble spots not just because there are more NGOs, but because there is more trouble out there.'' In fact, where government and institutions are weak they play a critical role as watachdog for the common good. James Jeff

I read your post and the link to Strategy Page with interest. To be honest I was disappointed with the analysis. The report cited in the excerpt you posted is not refernced in the article so we do not know which report this is and which NGO’s commissioned and carried out the research.

The report makes some really outrageous claims:

”For most nations, Africa is seen (at least in private discussions) as a lost cause, best left to the NGOs for hospice care, until the old order finally dies”

Says who, exactly? The fact is the business climate in Africa has improved marginally. Nigeria for example cleared it’s foreign debt. However, the real trick will be to open these markets to trade with the west: we can wait for a thousand generations to die off and the problems will still remain so long as these markets are closed out to the forces of economic development and global trade.

”NGOs are rather more reluctant to tackle the ancient and persistent problems of government corruption and tribal animosity. NGOs also do not like to discuss the role they play in prolonging wars, by providing food and other supplies to the armed groups” : see Transparency International, Global Witness, Publish What You Pay, International Alert, Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative and Kimberly Process to name a few.

”However, NGOs have a tendency to take better care of themselves, than the people they are supposed to be aiding in a time of great need.” -I think this is unfounded and it is the kind of message and rumour that suggests donor money is wasted and embezzled and so discourages aid. Check out Save the Children’s website. At the bottom of the page you can see a pie chart display promising 90% of donations go directly to service provision.

One statement that is the money is this: ”The NGOs have come to be so active in all these trouble spots not just because there are more NGOs, but because there is more trouble out there.” In fact, where government and institutions are weak they play a critical role as watachdog for the common good.

James

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