"The Western aid to 'Africa had the only effect of transforming a land already in a poor yet poorer. Today 50% of Africans live on less than a dollar a day, twenty 'years ago the percentage was half. " Dambisa Moyo, 40, born and raised in Lusaka, capital of Zambia, may be the personification of redemption of a continent: a degree in political science at Harvard, PhD in finance at Oxford, the first economist to the World Bank and then at Goldman Sachs, was included by Time magazine (edition of 'May 11) the one hundred Most Influential People of the world next to Barack Obama and Paul Krugman. She came to Turin invited by the School of the formation of 'UN to give a lecture on leadership. Assertive, confident, respected and applauded. But exudes bitterness: "In I could not return to Zambia. I go four times a 'year, I have my parents there and the whole family, but that work would I do? "And all this, he argues, is due to a cornucopia of handouts with which the developed world takes to the snare' Africa. Now he has written a book, Dead Aid, which reverses the positions of the Live Aid: argues that the measures do more harm than good to 'Africa. In fact, the 'year called the' antibiotic. But what do all these bad artists who raise funds for the 'Africa? After all is money, and money are being built schools, hospitals, infrastructure ... "Look, all these celebrities, Bono, Bob Geldorf, Angelina Jolie, Madonna, meanwhile, will make a great publicity at the expense of ' Africa. Then they claim to speak on behalf of the African countries in international forums, where each country has its own government should be able to express the features of the country it represents. Still, they do filter out a negative message ever: the 'Africa is a continent of only their second war, disease, disasters of all kinds. Now, do not say that the situation is the 'opposite, let alone, but something positive is happening as well. Finally, and this is the real issue, whether the funds collected by them end up in that great cauldron of aid that is the real tragedy of 'Africa'. Here is the central point: the aid hurt. But it is not a contradiction in terms? "I'll answer with a fact. Over the past 60 years subsidies have been paid for more than one million dollars. Do you think these have served to improve the living conditions of the continent? The situation has not only deteriorated but has sunk beyond any reasonable limit. This is all the more galling when you consider that 60% of Africans, who are more than a billion people, has less than 24 years. It's a huge youth, which would be full of enthusiasm, enthusiasm, activism. But it is inside a disheartening reality that can not go out from the abyss. " What is the mechanism by which the aid was turned into a loss? "The first and most well known is that they end in the pockets of unscrupulous and bloodthirsty dictators instead of being distributed to the population. The only Mobutu, President of Zaire from 1965 to 1997, he stole at least $ 5 billion to his country. But the examples are 'infinite. For those staying closer to home, last month the president of Malawi, Bakili Muluzi, has been accused of having pocketed 12 million dollars in aid. It 's former president of my country, Zambia, Frederick Chiluba, who was a favorite from' the West for all the years of his rule from 1991 to 2001, is still involved in a court case under the 'accused of embezzling millions of dollars to health and education facilities which they were intended. And what about Mugabe's Zimbabwe, or dittatorelli many others scattered across the continent? At least to Mugabe's aid is frozen, but for all the others continue to flow completely out of control. Are European or American taxpayers 'money: in the words of the' Hungarian economist Peter Bauer means exclude it from the pockets of the poor in rich countries to squeeze into those of the rich in poor countries. " His accusation, however, goes far beyond ... "Even abstracting from these perverse cases, helps determine everything that would call for a mechanism of welfare. Here, the 'Africa is a continent under a system of welfare. Governments are demotivated by 'taking the initiative of real development, real growth of the industrial, agricultural and services, because they know that soon, however, will be refinanced by the generous West. Think Meanwhile, rather than to create armies powerful because they are always handy to those in power, and then some amoeboid bureaucratic structures that have the sole purpose of preserving the status quo, because the present condition is the one most suitable: remain underdeveloped because it will come soon other aid, and then another and then another. The rulers lose all their time courting potential donors, further interest in domestic affairs. It is a circuit that takes away the dignity of welfare evil, does not help the growth and it is essential to break. " But how? She includes in her book 's hypothesis freeze all aid to five years ... "Yes, but it would probably be more realistic take a clear timetable, and to set country by country one day, starting from the least poor of course, in which aid ceases. To think 'India: in 2004 the government asked to' stop sending aid to the West. Since then the country has become one of the most extraordinary examples of development of the planet. " But can not deny that aid has succeeded in bringing many children to school, and dramatic diseases have been defeated ... "But in fact there are cases of genuine emergency and humanitarian aid where needed, such as d 'hand in the world. But these are a fraction of the avalanche of cash flows that affect Africa 's not provide a platform for sustainable long- term. I show mainly of direct aid from government to government. It has become a huge business where everyone gains except the 'Africa: the "worthy" American foundations, multinational food, non-governmental organizations. " Even the NGOs? "You know what the funds allocated by these companies actually end up to the African people? 20%. Not to mention the support mechanisms for the food: the subsidies do not go directly to the country but the big corporations. Which they are charged with crops grown in America and then sent via cargo in Africa. But would not it be more logical and much less expensive because subsidizing African farmers grow fruits and grains on the spot? And the mechanisms European agricultural policy are just somewhat different. This tension instead of being spread, it makes countries vulnerable both in terms of economic security: from 'start of' years there were already four coups in Guinea, GuineaBissau, Mauritania and Madagascar. " So, what suggestions would you give to those who genuinely want to help, do not subsidize, the 'Africa? 'C' is real need for investments, production activities that feed on the ground and patterns of trade playing field. That's what China has begun to do, probably because divorced from any colonial past. For example there are already fifteen stock exchanges in Africa, and there should take the 'West, in' encourage the emergence of new markets, not only of actions but of the bonds. Then lineeguida should be studied and to make attractive for productive investments in these lands, and where appropriate fund them with techniques like that of microfinance Gremeen Bank of Bangladesh. Today the average for countries to undertake a 'work it takes two years and dozens of permits. In America, the days are 40. Here, here and in many other cases we must work together. More rain to help. " Dambisa Moyo, formed an economist at Harvard and Oxford, lives in London, where he worked for eight years until last fall in the debt capital markets department of Goldman Sachs, and New York where he serves on the board of the Lundin for Africa Foundation, which is investing $ 100 million in initiatives of "microfinance" in Africa, seen as a first step and then channeling more investment and good value. Among his studies, research on African currencies, and the criteria to avoid too heavy a debt in Western currencies which exposes these countries to the turmoil in currency markets as well as promoting the 'domestic inflation.
Eugene occurred, "la Repubblica Affari & Finanza 'May 18, 2009
Eugene occurred, "la Repubblica Affari & Finanza 'May 18, 2009
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