Time to attack myth of Western superiority

Dambisa Moyo’s book “Dead Aid” has created quite a storm within the development community, which struggles with an appropriate response.

Of course, the easy retort is that her recipe —more foreign investment and access to international capital markets —while feasible (and actually happening) at the time she wrote her book, offers no alternative at present: due to the economic crisis foreign money flows have been reversing and there were no international bond issues by African countries in 2008.

In fact, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda have all cancelled plans to raise funds in the capital market. In the meantime, some well-performing African economies are re-evaluating their intentions to phase out official development assistance (ODA).

But regarding her criticism of aid, frankly, I feel the ‘aid-business’ has reacted too defensively.

The practices she condemns are exactly the ones the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and the more enlightened donors have been trying to reform.

I see Moyo’s book as a great opportunity for a public discussion regarding aid effectiveness and trade, for which it has always been hard to get public attention.

Such attention might create the constituency and political will to finally implement the reforms in aid delivery agreed by all donors in the Paris Declaration of 2005 and the Accra Agenda for Action last year.

I am especially delighted that Africans have joined the debate, which has been dominated for too long by Westerners, some of whom have too often portrayed Africans as incompetent and helpless.

It was time for Africans to stand up against the insulting paternalism of some parts of the international aid community.

Undermining Africans
Suggesting that it is up to us to fix global poverty denies the primary responsibility of developing countries to fix themselves —as embedded in the division of labour in the Millennium Goals.

It is high time to attack the underlying myth of Western superiority: we lecture —you listen; we give —you receive; we know—you learn; we take care of things— because you can’t.

Undermining Africans’ self confidence, we take over. Neo-colonialism is what I call it. Or, as an African friend of mine put it: “When you move to Africa, you are per definition an expatriate expert. But when I move to Europe, I am only an immigrant.”

Getting rid of these perceptions is essential for public opinion to understand what underpins the necessary reforms as agreed in the Paris Declaration and the Accra Agenda for Action: the recognition that we, donors, don’t develop them; they develop themselves. Only if Africans —not donors — set their development agenda, can aid be used productively.

In particular, Moyo’s point that “without aid, it would be easier for citizens to hold governments accountable” should not be dismissed.

Indeed, the attitude of ‘we’ (standing for experts/money) will save Africa or ‘we’ will end poverty, leads to undermining incentives for poor people to demand action from their own government to improve governance, fight corruption and ensure that resources—not just aid, but also the far larger domestic resources —are spent transparently and well.