President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf: Aid is working
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Today the Washington Post is running a great op-ed by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia. In the piece, the President talks about how the financial crisis threatens Africa’s turnaround and she also weighs in on how development assistance – along with stronger African leadership and better governance — has contributed to important progress in Africa over the past ten years.
President Sirleaf’s commentary is directly relevant to the current debate about the value of aid. She makes clear that aid has been an important component in Africa’s recent progress and cutting aid would have negative effects on poverty and stability on the continent. Thus she provides a very different view from that offered in the new book Dead Aid:
While international attention has been understandably focused on events in Darfur, Somalia and Zimbabwe, countries across the continent including Ghana, Tanzania, Mozambique and Liberia have been quietly turning around. Economic growth rates regularly exceed 5 percent in many nations. Since 2000, 34 million more African children are in school. More than 2 million Africans are on lifesaving HIV/AIDS medicines. Malaria deaths have been halved in Rwanda and Ethiopia, and the disease has been virtually eradicated in Zanzibar. Poverty rates are falling fast, from 58 to 51 percent across the continent in just six years, according to the World Bank.
The key to this progress is stronger African leadership and more accountable governance. Today, more than 20 African countries are democracies, up from just three in the 1980s; they have competitive elections and improved human rights, and their news media are much freer. These efforts have been supported by increasingly effective development assistance from the United States and other partners.
The citizens and leaders of donor nations should recognize how important their assistance has been to the new leadership in Africa and how appreciative most Africans are for this partnership. Critics say that African economies are shrinking, that poverty is rising and that failing aid is the culprit. But this argument is at least a decade out of date. Africa’s turnaround is real, the evidence indisputable. Africans themselves have been the key to this reversal, but more effective aid has played an important role. Reducing aid would slow private-sector growth, stall poverty reduction, and undermine peace and stability in countries that are struggling to become part of the global economy.
-Kathy McKiernan
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April 9, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Beautiful piece by President Johnson-Sirleaf. Thanks for posting it, Kathy.
President Johnson-Sirleaf has a decades long history of fighting for human rights and accountable, transparent * democratic government in her country of Liberia and thus, she is one of the PRE-EMINENT African leaders of today who can speak with authencity regarding what is happening with African governance methods today.
I wish her well always in her efforts for Africa’s Future.
ALWAYS FOREVER, ONE – debbie
http://www.mpwn-uganda.org
April 10, 2009 at 6:33 pm
Thank you Mama President for those words, unfortuantely ONE would love to pit two African women against each other simply to advance their causes. More importantly though Liberia has to take steps to reduce things like its unemployment rate, which currently stands at Eighty-Five (85%). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberia#Economy).
April 10, 2009 at 6:42 pm
I think President Johnson-Sirleaf is a smart enough woman to know when she is in the company of true friends and supporters. I have had faith in her decision-making and thinking for decades.
And I’m sure that she understands the challenges that Liberia faces better than anyone else.
GOD BLESS AFRICA, debbie
April 11, 2009 at 8:52 am
Yes, I’m sure she’s wonderful, but again, Liberia has Eighty-Five (thats 8 and 5) per cent unemployment! If my ‘friends’ can sit back and watch my country continue on a path of no growth then maybe they are not friends after all. I’m sure they’ve been many fine politicians in history, but how about the common Liberian?
April 11, 2009 at 9:54 am
If case you weren’t aware, Mr. Kibaya, Liberia has just recently come out of nearly two decades of dictatorship and civil conflict – much of it fueled by the poverty that most Liberians have had to live in and the rush by private corporations & individuals for Liberia’s natural resources!
Pres. Johnson-Sirleaf is doing EVERYTHING that she can to elevate the living standards of the “average Liberian” but IT TAKES TIME to build a nation’s infrastructure and foreign investment after such a long, dicey period of political & economic instability.
I’m surprised that, as an African, you don’t realize this.
What is your magic answer to improve Liberia’s standard of living, Mr. Kibaya? I’m sure the Madam President would be more than willing to listen to any NEW ideas that you have.
As for me, I’ll stay out of her way & trust in her ability to lead her own nation.
GOD BLESS AFRICA, debbie
April 11, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Please Debbie, don’t ever insult me with with things like “If case you weren’t aware, Mr. Kibaya, Liberia has just recently come out of nearly two decades of dictatorship and civil conflict” or “I’m surprised that, as an African, you don’t realize this”. That is extremely condescending. I have very close friends from Monrovia who have lived through the horror, so don’t for a second think you are in a position to lecture me on its history.
I can concede that Liberia may need aid more than other countries based on its recent history, but for you to use that as a crutch is unfair to the average Liberian. When exactly can Liberia stop depending on Aid?
And as far as a ‘magic answer’ isn’t that what Dr. Moyo is proposing? Some solutions? Again, what are you proposing?
April 11, 2009 at 3:11 pm
If you have friends in Monrovia, then you should know of how every segment in that country are trying to work together to get their country out of two decades of civil strife. So I was amazed at your comment about the level of unemployment in the nation & the fact that the economy right now in Liberia is not growing at a rate that all of us would like to see.
What more do you expect from President Johnson-Sirleaf? She is doing all that she can for her country and probably doesn’t need to be reminded by me or anyone else of the challenges that her country faces.
If we want to “take offense”, Mr. Kibaya – I found your comments to the Madam President a bit offensive also.
I have tried over and over in this forum to discuss issues and not personalities. But it seems that you are intent on following me in this forum and try to argue with me about anything that you can.
That is regrettable because there is much more that we could agree on – if we could only stop the mud slinging and simply talk with each other.
But we will never know because you refuse to stop the ahte and get on to finding our common ground.
Ultimately Ridiyen, when our lives are over and we have to meet our Maker, it will not be important whether we agreed with Dambisa Moyo or with the whiteband movement.
What will be important is whether or not what we did in life brought people hope; brought people a chance at a future; brought people Life itself.
We evidently disagree too much to try to find the middle ground where we could agree & work together for a better future for Africa.
Thus, you may have the last word with me in this discussion because I will NOT debate you no more.
Your extreme negativity toward anything that I have said to you is toxic – and I remove myself from it.
I wish you well, Mr. Kibaya. God will ultimately be the judge of our hearts and of our actions
GOD BLESS AFRICA, debbie
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April 11, 2009 at 4:58 pm
You’re a riot Debbie. This ‘holier than thou and I’m above it all’ act is wearing thin. Firstly, be honest with yourself. You can’t go around making snide remarks like ‘If you do have friends in Monrovia’ (like there might be an element of deceit in what I’m saying) and have the audacity to declare someone else’s comments as toxic. Maybe you can live off providing ‘hope’ but I can’t Africa is home for me, not a ’cause”; and exactly what ‘future’ tare you providing to Africa based on Aid dependancy? Please help me understand this. I’m sure Mama President can take some disagreement. She’s a politician so I doubt she’s never heard anything like this from her constituents. Like I’ve said before, its your perogative not to debate me. YOU are the one who directed comments at my post here, so please feel free to remove yourself. I on the other hand will continue to pursue measures of helping Africa to stand up! You can gladly continue with it as a hobby.
April 20, 2009 at 12:39 am
TO MY PRESIDENT.
Dear Madam President,
I,m a Liberian a resident of Staten Island New York. I’ve lived on Staten Island for
twentyeight years working in the community in Parkhill with the children and the market
women. I,m a recording artist who has presented to your assistant a copy of my CD
titled (LETS JOIN HANDS TOGETHER) at your last visit to New York with the market women
in mamhatan, I’m the lady that sang with the century dance group children I’m concern
to know if you have receivd it.
Thanking you in advance for a reply, Yours concerned Liberian.
April 25, 2009 at 12:16 am
Any progress is good. But with all due respect, progress in Africa, especially at this time when there is a push to unite Africa, many African’s Leaders use progress as an excuse to neglect their responsibilities and obligations to the African Nation as a whole, by being selfish with only an interest only in their own Country.
I am sorry to say that; that I thing Foreign Aid is another tool of enslaving Africans. With the continue flow of Foreign Aid, African Leaders will continue to sit on their back-side and wait for Foreign Aid and Foreigners to solve African’s problems. When they should be taking any necessary means to build the whole infrastructure of the Continent of Africa.
Thank you