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Reality of Aid Africa edition 2003/4
African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD)
June 03, 2004

Preface by Barbara Kalima AFRODAD Coordinator
The Reality of Aid is an independent assessment of the nature and performance of development aid. The project aims to contribute to more effective strategies to eliminate poverty, based on principles of solidarity and equity, by analysing international aid and development cooperation and lobbying for changes in north/south systemic relationships in aid practices.

It does so by:

• Providing reliable and well-researched reports on international aid performance;
• influencing national and international policy-makers, in the north and the south, through lobbying and policy dialogue;
• contributing to an informed debate on the role of aid in poverty eradication;
• increasing public knowledge and awareness and thereby popular and political pressure for accountable development co-operation policies in donor countries;
• facilitating collaboration and shared learning between CSOs from all regions of the world to enhance their capacity to advocate for effective development cooperation.

Since 2000 when the regional chapters (African, Asian, European, Non-OECD, Latin American) of the Global Reality of Aid project were formed, AFRODAD has taken an active role in the Reality of Aid work in Africa. The African Chapter's mission is to "To ensure that aid to Africa brings positive impact and sustainable human development".

The African project seeks to;

• Understand the reasons for the resource gap in African economies (which is usually filled by development aid);
• explain the increasing poverty despite the continued aid flows to the continent;
• neutralise the negative motivations of aid by the donors;
• ensure that aid contributes to sustainable development;
• understand why aid has made such a low impact on development over the past many years;
• assess in what areas aid is most effective and where it is least effective;
• analyse the modes of aid delivery;
• analyse the impact of corruption, misuse and mismanagement of financial resources and other valuable resources, including aid, on the continent with a view of reducing the leakages of these resources.

The ROA 2004 Africa Edition is the second in a series that gives Africans a chance to voice their concerns on development aid by critically analysing its quality, quantity and effectiveness. Taking from the 2004 ROA Global Edition theme "Governance and Promotion on Human Rights in International Cooperation and aid," this edition analyses 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.

To present a truly African perspective of the issues, in 2003 AFRODAD started wide consultations across the continent in collaboration with its affiliates and other organisations in Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Workshops were held in these countries where research papers on various themes were presented and intense discussions on various subjects were held. Workshops participants included high level government officials, donors, civil society and grassroots organisations and members of the general public.

A new and exciting initiative taken by AFRODAD in 2003 was the expansion of ROA activities into West Africa. A West African regional workshop, involving 10 countries was held in Lagos, Nigeria in collaboration with ANEEJ/ECONDAD. West Africa is a diverse region combining both Anglophone and Franchophone countries as well as conflict and post conflict countries, dynamics which the ROA Project believes are crucial to bring to public attention for action. While we would like our work to gain more ground and depth in that region, some of the challenges we face include the language barrier and shortage of resources.

The Africa-wide consultations are the beginning of a process in which we seek to articulate genuine African views and opinions on the performance and effectiveness of development aid and to ensure that it benefits all. This piece of work 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 MillenniumDevelopment Goals. It is our hope that this work will make a significant contribution in improving the impact of aid on Africa's development.

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