For God's Sake, Please Stop the Aid!
An "African" (is Africa a country yet?) economist calls on Europe to stop all aid to Africa. The paragraph below could be just as relevant and powerful if "Africa" is replaced with "Kosovo." Aid handouts are not the way to development. Instead, if it really means it, the developed world should open its markets and remove all farm subsidies to their farmers for food that is ultimately dumped in Africa. This also makes environmental sense for EU and US.
Shikwati: ... jobs that were created artificially in the first place and that distort reality. Jobs with foreign aid organizations are, of course, quite popular, and they can be very selective in choosing the best people. When an aid organization needs a driver, dozens apply for the job. And because it's unacceptable that the aid worker's chauffeur only speaks his own tribal language, an applicant is needed who also speaks English fluently -- and, ideally, one who is also well mannered. So you end up with some African biochemist driving an aid worker around, distributing European food, and forcing local farmers out of their jobs. That's just crazy!
Source: SPIEGEL Interview with African Economics Expert: "For God's Sake, Please Stop the Aid!"
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