Thanks for a good article
At least someone on the African continent clearly sees the jargon
" wishing - well " for what it is. That the mind-set of wishing some one
well is not dependant on the persons needs but on the “well-wishers”
partial judgment of what is needed.
On Mon, 25 May 2009 10:06:06 +0400, A Jallow
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>Africa’s own road to prosperity
>
>By Paul Kagame
>
>At recent meetings of the Group of 20 and the International Monetary
>Fund, world leaders have gathered to discuss the global economic
>crisis.
>
>Unfortunately, it seems that many still believe they can solve the
>problems of the poor with sentimentality and promises of massive
>infusions of aid, which often do not materialise.
>
>We who live in, and lead, the world's poorest nations are convinced
>that the leaders of the rich world and multilateral institutions have
>a heart for the poor. But they also need to have a mind for the poor.
>
>Dambisa Moyo's controversial book, Dead Aid, has given us an
accurate
>evaluation of the aid culture today. The cycle of aid and poverty is
>durable: as long as poor nations are focused on receiving aid they
>will not work to improve their economies.
>
>Some of Moyo's prescriptions, such as ending all aid within five
>years, are aggressive. But I always thought this was the discussion
we
>should be having: when to end aid and how best to end it.
>
>Aid has not only often failed to meet its objectives; it has also
>rarely dealt with the underlying issues of poverty and weak societies.
>
>We see this with our neighbour, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo.
>There, 17 000 United Nations peacekeepers - the largest and most
>expensive presence of its kind in history - treat the symptoms rather
>than addressing the issues of capacity, self-determination and
>dignity.
>
>Often, aid has left recipient populations unstable, distracted and
>more dependent; as Ashraf Ghani, the former finance minister of
>Afghanistan, has pointed out, it can even sever the relationship
>between democratically elected leadership and the populace.
>
>Do not get me wrong. We appreciate support from the outside, but it
>should be support for what we intend to achieve ourselves.
>
>No one should pretend that they care about our nations more than
we
>do; or assume that they know what is good for us better than we do
>ourselves. They should, in fact, respect us for wanting to decide our
>own fate.
>
>At the same time, as I tell our people, nobody owes Rwandans
anything.
>Why should anyone in Rwanda feel comfortable that taxpayers in
other
>countries are contributing money for our wellbeing or development?
>Rwanda is a nation with high goals and a sense of purpose.
>
>We are attempting to increase our gross domestic product by seven
>times over a generation, which increases per capita incomes fourfold.
>This will create the basis for further innovation and foster trust,
>civic-mindedness and tolerance, strengthening our society.
>
>Entrepreneurship is the surest way for a nation to meet these goals.
>Michael Fairbanks' book, In The River They Swim, which uses Rwanda
as
>one of its examples, highlights the need to respect local wisdom,
>build a culture of innovation and create investment opportunities in
>product development, new distribution systems and innovative
branding.
>
>Government activities should focus on supporting entrepreneurship
not
>just to meet these new goals, but because it unlocks people's minds,
>fosters innovation and enables people to exercise their talents. If
>people are shielded from the forces of competition, it is like saying
>they are disabled.
>
>Entrepreneurship gives people the feeling that they are valued and
>have meaning, that they are as capable, as competent and as gifted
as
>anyone else. Asking our citizens to compete is the same as asking
them
>to go out into the world on behalf of Rwanda and play their part.
>
>We know this is a tremendous challenge given our status as a
>land-locked nation emerging from conflict, with few natural resources,
>little specialised infrastructure and low historical investment in
>education.
>
>But, in fact, we have reasons to be optimistic: we have a clear
>strategy to export based on sustainable competitive advantages.
>
>We sell coffee now for high prices to the world's most demanding
>purchasers; our tourism experience attracts the best customers in the
>world and market research reveals that perceptions of Rwandan tea
are
>improving.
>
>This has resulted in wages in key sectors rising at more than 20
>percent on an annual basis. We have cut our aid as a percentage of
>total GDP by half over the past decade, and last year we grew at
more
>than 11 percent even as the world entered a recession.
>
>While this is encouraging, we know the road to prosperity is a long
>one. We will travel it with the help of a new school of development
>thinkers and entrepreneurs, with those who demonstrate they have
not
>just a heart, but also a mind for the poor..
>
>l The writer is President of Rwanda
>
>— Financial Times
>
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