Inter Press Service (Johannesburg)
6 November 2009
Africans "should dare to imagine an African world not defined by the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund but one that comes out of Africa". This is necessary for Africans to grow out of dependence and become the agents of their own development.
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Large amounts of foreign money injure an economy. This is true whether the money is a gift, a loan, in trade for a commodity like oil, and even if in trade for the products of your labor. Africa's material problems must be solved by African labor producing for African needs. Only a small amount of that can be financed from the outside.
Yes, you must take charge of your own development. Too much time has been spent waiting for central governments and foreign philanthropists to do what local governments and private initiative can do best. Look what is being done by local gardeners. Locally, with your own labor, is how your problems must be solved.