Back to Index

AFRODAD launches Reality of Aid Africa edition at regional workshop
African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD)
May 17, 2004

"Without good governance, we cannot eradicate poverty; for no corrupt government is interested in the eradication of poverty; on the contrary, and as we have seen in many parts of Africa and elsewhere, widespread corruption in high places breeds poverty" - Julius Nyerere, Former President of Tanzania.

HARARE – The African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) will on 19 and 20 May, 2004 host a workshop for its affiliates and stakeholders to discuss the contents of their latest publication, Reality of Aid, Africa Edition 2003/4, which will be launched at the same event in Pretoria.

The theme for the workshop will be: "Governance & Promotion of Rights in International Cooperation and Aid" and will provide a space for the 18 participants to review the findings contained in the Africa Edition of the Reality of Aid publication, as well as come up with recommendations for the way forward.

The Africa Edition of Reality of Aid is a culmination of various workshops and meetings between AFRODAD affiliates and organisations working on debt and aid in Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe as well as contributions from other African countries, which allowed for a truly African perspective of the issues. Workshop participants have always included high level government officials, donors, civil society and grassroots organisations and members of the general public, in an effort to articulate genuine African views and opinions on the performance and effectiveness of development aid and to ensure that it benefits all.

The regional workshop will seek to analyse governance structures at international, regional and national levels and how different policies, interests and actions violate human rights in the name of globalisation, personal and corporate interests and the security agenda.

The Reality of Aid, Africa Edition is targeted at policymakers in Africa, particularly Heads of States, African Finance Ministers, Ambassadors to the United Nations and other agencies. It is also aimed at enlisting wider support of CSO groups both in the South and North to stimulate discussions with their constituencies on issues raised.

AFRODAD has already started preparatory work on the next ROA edition, which will focus on the contribution of aid to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

AFRODAD finds the Reality of Aid as a cross cutting issue in development work and therefore the need and importance of analyzing it and its impact as it leads to more complex problems like debt and dependency among others. Aid comes in the form of grants, loans and technical expertise. Ideally aid on its own is not problematic, it is in fact a positive thing. Aid only becomes a problem when it starts to bring about such huge negative impacts as debt, increasing poverty and dependency.

The fundamental question therefore is "Does Africa need Aid, if so how best can the aid be made to work and benefit all, if not, what other alternatives can be pursed to generate the required resources?"

Visit the AFRODAD fact sheet

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP