Foreign Aid In Africa

There has been an assumption that Africans cannot develop thriving or even sustainable economies without outside monetary support. After decades of U.S. foreign aid and aid from other countries, many in the developing nations of Africa have not seen the benefits of this economic assistance. This fact has raised questions about the effectiveness of these efforts to improve the economies of Africa. Many believe that such aid has not only been unsupportive of these economies, but instead has actually stunted economic growth. As a case in point, this paper will focus on the experience of the country of Zambia with regard to its foreign aid programs and will cite findings reported in several academic journals and other university publications.

European colonial powers have had dramatic influences on the development of the African continent during the past several centuries. Much of that influence has been negative. For example, the British came into Zambia and tried to change native ways of life by disparaging their cultures and religions. The British believed that Zambia needed to be “ethnically rejuvenated”. When the British came to Zambia, they also realized they could exploit millions of people as well as the country’s natural resources. In so doing they often brutally killed individuals who resisted their force. As well as, they tore down many of the native forests to create more European style farmlands for agriculture. Of course, the European model was not necessarily the best for Zambian traditional cultures or for the native climate. In addition, the significance of European (and later American) exploitation of the African peoples as part of the slave trade is enormous. This past exploitation undoubtedly may have influe...

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...ca that have evolved over hundreds or even thousands of years. It may be difficult for American and European donor countries to understand that others may not be receptive to such fundamental changes to their national or regional identities. It is sometimes hard for functioning democracies to understand that countries like many in Africa that have been led by dictators or tribal chiefs for centuries may not be ready to leap into Western-style governments. After all, the evolution to democratic representational forms of government took place in Europe and in the United States over multi-generational periods of time. It may be that such changes cannot be “jump started” even by tons of foreign aid. The best that wealthy aid donors may be able to hope for is to provide goods and services that bring technological advances to those countries that can best be served.