Current African aid method fails the needy, author says

Dambisa Moyo tells it like it is when it comes to Africa. Avoiding glossing over the problems, she expresses the harsh reality that persists throughout the continent.

“We need to take a good hard look on what is happening across Africa. Aid has absolutely failed,” Moyo said in a call to arms to change the approach of the direction of aid given to Africa.

She gave an hour-long presentation Wednesday at the Friday Center to a packed crowd. The lecture was part of the Business Across Borders series run by the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise within the business school.

Moyo has been a major figure on the African aid debate since she released her book, “Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa,” last year. The book became a New York Times best-seller, and she has since been named to the 2009 Time magazine list of the 100 most influential people of the year.

Moyo, a native of Zambia, is now part of a group of Africans educated in the U.S. and Europe who are looking to change the debate on how aid money is spent in Africa.

“There was a real interest among students to bring more people into the business school who have had on-the-ground experience in the different countries’ business markets,” said Raymond Farrow, the executive director of the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise.

During the lecture, Moyo went over the key points brought up in her book on the differences in aid, the problems and what changes can be made. She has been exceptionally critical of the celebrity approach to African aid.

“People are not listening to the presidents in Africa on what to do with Africa,” Moyo said. “You must be able to strum a guitar to be heard. I love good music, but I do not trust (celebrities) running my country.”

Moyo also said she believes the African countries need to systematically move away from aid and look within to install institutions that would help Africa develop.

“The emotion has not helped,” she said. “Africa must be looked on from logic — with stats and figures — and look for long-term solutions.”

The Business Across Borders program started two years ago and holds two series each year. Previous discussions focused on China, India and Latin America.

The series moved from focusing on a distinct country to instead focusing on a particular continent.

“On this campus, there are a lot of interests among students and faculty on Africa, and it is an area that usually does not get as much visibility as Asia or others on having experts come,” Farrow said. “Having a high profile speaker on Africa can really help reshape the debate here.”



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