Against the backdrop of an international economic downturn and changes in government leadership in the United States and United Kingdom, donors, development officials and economists are looking hard at how to improve the way foreign assistance is administered and used in Africa.
Africa needs to reinvigorate its traditions, revitalize its academic institutions and move away from aid to infrastructural development and intra-African trade, says Njongonkulu Ndungane, president of African Monitor.
Kanayo F. Nwanze, president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), recently spoke with AllAfrica about the future of international assistance and the role of agriculture in Africa's development.
Author Jeffrey Sachs believes that extreme poverty can be eliminated by 2025 by promoting trade and investment, and if development assistance targets the critical areas of agriculture, health, education, basic infrastructure and business development.
Paul Collier is the author of "The Bottom Billion," an award-winning book that shines a light on some 50 failing states in the world and the billion people who live in them. He recently told AllAfrica's Cindy Shiner that changes need to be made in the way foreign aid is given to these countries.
Lloyd Pierson of the U.S. Africa Development Foundation (USADF) rejects claims that foreign aid has had little impact in Africa, saying aid is most effective when programs are well defined, have proper oversight and get directly to the people they are aimed to help.
Michael Joseph, CEO of Safaricom in Kenya, believes the mobile phone has had a greater impact than aid on development in the country. Speaking with AllAfrica about foreign aid and foreign direct investment, Joseph said in his experience one is generally more sustainable than the other.
Kanayo F. Nwanze is the president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Nwanze, originally from Nigeria, recently spoke with allAfrica.com about the future of international assistance and the role of agriculture in Africa's development.
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