On Africa, President Obama is Right. Why ?

By William Watch
Centre for Africa Political Advocacy
London, UK

Obama is right. The future of Africa depends on how each African country embraces good governance and democracy, not foreign aid. Many Africans dictators and criminals mainly General Paul Kagame of Rwanda confuse democracy and good governance because the democratisation of their countries can force them to lose power. Good governance is inseparable from democracy.

Read more here.

The British will continue to push for aid for ever to support dictators to advance their strategic, cultural, political and commercial interests in Africa. Furthermore, it is well know that much of the British aid returns to the British people through various ways. For the British , democracy is taboo. If the democratisation process spreads in Africa, the British will lose.

For example the dictator Museveni has always used the ethnicity cards to suppress the democratisation process of Uganda, while Kagame is now doing the same using the genocide cards. All this is supported by the British through their budget support to both countries.

Just take a simple example. When the British travel to Rwanda, they spend their days in the capital´s hotels built by the British taxpayer´s money. They are amazed by the construction of new properties in the capital by corrupt Kagame´s cronies who have access to public funds which include British aid. After arriving in the UK, the British saviours say: well, we are proud of what we have done in Rwanda. Rwanda is on track for recovery.

All Rwandans are now rich including the rural areas which British did not visit. The British continue to say: our aid has lifted millions of Rwandans out of poverty. Poverty has been reduced by 50% after having spent more than £ 500 millions on budget support, consultancy, NGOs, the parliament, etc. (Clare Short MP, September 2008).

According to the British, new houses for a few people who live in the capital are the indicator of poverty reduction. In Rwanda, access to adequate basic sanitation remains woefully low at less than 10%, electricity coverage is only 16 %, life expectancy at birth is less than 45, labour force - by occupation: agriculture 90%, unemployment rate: unknown, Population at risk of malaria : 100 %, a teacher is paid US $ 50 per month.

So, this is the overall picture of British foreign policy in Africa, especially in relation to international aid.

For more information, please visit UK's proxy wars in Africa: The case of Rwanda and DR Congo.

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