Mar 14 2007
Overseas aid
I went to an interesting lunch this week, to act as one of the Commons hosts for visiting Parliamentarians from around the Commonwealth.
I invited the three developing countries represented at my table to tell me what they thought about overseas aid, how it could be improved, and whether they would like more of it.
One MP criticised it, saying it put off the day her country would make more progress for itself in creating jobs and higher incomes. The other two agreed with her that all too often the incumbent government diverted it into projects that they controlled, to make clear to voters that the home government was delivering the??money. This was not always the best use of the cash.
They also all disliked the way some countries - but not the UK - spent the money on a defined project which contractors from the donor country carried out. They felt that the recipient country needed to benefit from the jobs the extra spending could create.
John Redwood has been the Member of Parliament for Wokingham since 1987. First attending Kent College, Canterbury, he graduated from Magdalen College...
Why do we give overseas aid at all? So many problems here to sort and we give money away,
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Aid has been proven to be a hindrance to those that receive it and not a benefit. It is time all overseas aid was cut.
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Why do I see signs up on Public Works projects across here saying “Part Financed By The EU” with that stomach-churning circle of dead starfish flag next to it?
As net contributors to the Evil Empire it astounds me that they are trying to make us feel grateful for giving us a little bit of our own money back!
My question: when our overseas aid building projects in the 3rd World are branded as being financed by foreign support - do they carry a GB flag or an EU ‘flag’ now?
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The most effective spur to development in Africa has been mobile phines. These have been set up without government money (either ours or the local governments) though western donors did press the African governments not to prevent them going up. There are African villages without electricity who can now trade with their neighbours because they can talk to them. They top up the phone battery from the village’s car battery. They don’t have a car either just the battery which gets taken into the city once a month to top up.
Given the option I would put all the money the EU puts into African aid into setting up a geosynchronous communications satellite system at the equator covering Europe & Africa & run it effectively free for covering Africa with mobile phones, tv & the net.
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