The Seven Deadly Sins of Aid

Valentina Okaru-Bisant, No Affiliation

Abstract

Despite all the aid money, more than three quarters of a million children in Africa each year are dying from water borne diseases. Far from assisting developing nations to break out of the cycle of poverty, aid-at least in the form it usually takes in Africa-creats depedency and discourages local development initiatives.

Dr. Valentina Okaru-Bisant (Guest Columnist for African Business-July 2009 edition) examines how aid can become a genuine tool of emancipation for Africa. There is an urgent need to move from financial and technical aid dependency to trade interdependency.