Africa's aid dependency should end
2011-10-19 22:44
London - Former British prime minister Tony Blair held out the prospect on Wednesday that aid for Africa could be phased out within a generation as a new wave of determined and self-reliant leaders emerged on the African continent.
Speaking at a conference in London, Blair praised a new sense of "possibility, determination and self-reliance" among African leaders who wanted their countries to fend for themselves.
"For the first time this is possible to foresee... There's a new generation of African leaders - in politics, business and civil society - who are anxious to take the destiny of their own countries in their own hands," said Blair.
"Ending aid dependency in a generation is not an idle dream; it's an idea whose time has come."
By developing infrastructure in areas like power and electricity and exploiting natural resources countries could create a tax base, raise revenue and develop services like health and education, he said.
However, the countries needed help in taking the first vital steps to improve governance and infrastructure, added Blair.
"Without the first step being taken by clear decisions made and implemented, they remain mired in underdevelopment and pretty soon the fine visions of progress are lost in a sea of disillusion and resentment. That is why democracy and delivery must go hand-in-hand."
Blair, who is patron of the Africa Governance Initiative which works with the governments of Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Liberia, made his remarks at a conference in London organised by the Overseas Development Institute.
- SAPA