In Friday’s Financial Times I found an impassioned plea to the international aid community from Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda. In his short opinion piece, he confirms that what CIPE has always viewed as a fundamental approach to development – with local partners in the driver’s seat and development professionals giving advice and support – is not only appreciated in the developing world, but also vital to ending ineffective aid in Africa.
Mr. Kagame states:
Do not get me wrong. We appreciate support from the outside, but it should be support for what we intend to achieve ourselves. No one should pretend that they care about our nations more than we do; or assume that they know what is good for us better than we do ourselves. They should, in fact, respect us for wanting to decide our own fate.
On the subject of business, entrepreneurship, and government reform Mr. Kagame also seems to be in tune with many of CIPE’s views:
Government activities should focus on supporting entrepreneurship not just to meet these new goals [fostering an environment for innovation and investment], but because it unlocks people’s minds, fosters innovation and enables people to exercise their talents. If people are shielded from the forces of competition, it is like saying they are disabled.
Africans want help in building their own institutions, not an unending aid that leaves the next generation in the same place as the generation before them. The big question is whether or not the development community is listening and willing to take the advice of those they are trying to help.
Published Date: May 11, 2009