The Trouble with Africa: Why Foreign Aid Isn't Working

by Robert Calderisi

Highlighting issues which have been ignored by Africa's leaders but have worried ordinary Africans, diplomats, academics, business leaders, aid workers, volunteers, and missionaries for a long time, this work suggests concrete steps which Africans and the world can take to liberate talent and enterprise on the continent.

Genres: Africa, Nonfiction, Politics, Economics, History, Current Affairs, International Development

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a very long time, Africa has been regarded as an out of control region. Regardless that all aid associations and individual countries are still pumping big flow of money, the continent is miserably poor. Despite the 4o years of foreign aid which was estimated about half of the world's aid given only to Africa, It failed to achieve more than 1% of international trade.
First off, I liked the idea that an aid professional who worked for the W.B. expresses his point of view in a book. The book is written from an unbiased point of view far from an African or western point of view. Calderisi's main argument is that Africa is the only responsible actor for most of its problems and that it has to stop blaming its problems on others. Slave trade, colonialism, cold war and debt burden aren't the reasons of Africa's failure. Coming to the first argument, those very slaves have had better future than the rest of the Africans themselves. Moving to the second argument, any country was under colonization at one point of its history. Colonialism left many positive effects as introducing new technological ideas and the current interest in the continent. Few countries were affected by the cold war. In the contrary, decolonization was accelerated after that. Moving to the final argument, western countries wrote off $5 billion dollars and in 2005, rich countries agreed to cancel another $40 billion. Calderisi refutes all these assumptions and proves with evidence his point of view.
Then, he discusses in details the reasons of Africa's failure ,and then how aid will work best for Africa. And finally, he proposed 10 ways of changing Africa, which were quite brilliant and practical.
A must read book. Very organized and well-written. I think I'll read books on the same topic very soon.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars

[Stephen Witt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps the reason foreign aid isn't working is that we give the money to jackasses like this guy.

[Kirsten Kinnell · Rating 1 out of 5]

edited to add: um, no. after taking a couple of african history courses, i think that any shocking expose emanating from the west about mismanagement in africa should be burned. we've no room to talk and it's short-sighted to lay all the blame for africa's problems on african leaders (although many, surely, share in the blame). This is especially true since we, through the lovely auspices of the WB and IMF, continue to promulgate "development" policies specifically designed to keep africa producing the cash crops and raw materials we need to sustain our lifestyles in the west. okay, i'm stepping down off my soapbox now.

see the review for Africa Unchained. same publishing house, cross referenced with this book, same feelings on my part. for now.

[Charles Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, I more or less agree with his main thesis here: that sympathy, political correctness, and lots of money have not effectively developed African countries economically, and have often prevented that development from happening. Corruption, a lack of civic rights, and repeated squandering of economic opportunities have kept much of the continent living in extreme deprivation; similarly, honest and outspoken critics of the current system are a rarity, from inside or outside of it.

But I was a little disappointed with this one. Primarily, it is light on substance. He says he wants to make it a work for the general reader (i.e. not drown the main points in technocratic jargon), but almost the entire work is backed up solely through anecdotes, sweeping generalizations, and highly contentious opinions passed off as facts. For example, he claims that one of the three main reasons why African aid rarely achieves its objectives is due to the "culture" of Africans. This assertion is dispatched in a breezy nine pages of stories, reflections based on personal experience, and cherry-picked quotes from Africa-lovers (and haters). He is far better (as a former World Bank official) in the "The Trouble With Foreign Aid" chapter, where he sticks to his field of expertise and buttresses his contentions with hard statistics and sound theory.

This book certainly deserves to be read - I just don't know if this edition does. Meaning, Calderisi should stick to writing what he really knows, not be afraid of the jargon when it will hammer his point home with force, and spend much longer than another nine breezy pages delving into the meat and potatoes of his ending 10 recommendations. That would be a work the world needs to read, and one I would happily recommend to everyone I know.

[Kory · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was reading this on the plane from South Africa to Ethiopia (a stopover to Delhi)...boy did I get some response from my fellow passengers.

I was seated next to an UN official...we had some interesting and sometimes heated discussion.

I basically agree with the idea the BIG MONEY...foreign aid is not working...better thru small org and NGOs.

As it turned out, it seemed that is what the UN guy thought as well (his first response was to say the author was wrong, and he was just giving a westerner's view- which the author admints to in the intro), he is a native of Ghana...raised his kids in US, and now is married to an Ethiopian, living in Addis. He felt like an African should tell provide the explanation, as only an African could have the right insight. The UN guy seemed a bit unaware of his hypocrisy as the left his own country for over 20 years..

anyway

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this right after graduating with my global health public health degree, a year after coming back from doing research in Africa, three years after having lived in Africa, and .5 months after having finished writing my thesis about HIV Prevention in Cameroon, West Africa. And it was SO refreshing. It was a completely opposite perspective than the one which I had studied and somewhat embraced in the past 2 or so years. I appreciated that it was written by an 'insider' of aid work. I appreciated how it broached touchy subjects with candor and concrete examples. I think it is an absolutely necessary book to read when considering an organization's role or an individual's goals in 'helping' Africa.

[Nora Rawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Picked this up thinking there might be something of interest and immediately put it back down. The trouble with Africa certainly involves the corruption of local leaders; but does that make it self pity and erase the impact of colonialism? In fact, no!!!!! Read WIZARD OF THE CROW or GOD’S BITS OF WOOD instead!!!

[Ebony · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, it should be called "The TROUBLES with Africa". I have just picked the book up yesterday but living here, I already know how I'm going feel and these books just confirm what I already know and feel so for me it's almost like: "ok, I'm REALLY not this crazy, cold-hearted bitch" but there really is a problem. Anyway, after I read this book I will post my review.

[Maryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book really made me think. it's controversial and provocative, and i think everyone who cares about foreign aid, development, and the African continent should read it. and then think deeply about Calderisi's criticisms.

[Bryan Lovely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently the trouble with Africa is that it's full of Africans. It seems that no matter how heroic or perservering individual Africans are, they are evidently incapable of elevating anyone to any level of power who doesn't immediately become swaggeringly self-important, massively corrupt, or at the very least exhibiting of massive favoritism toward their family, their home village or region, or their ethnic group. This isn't a racial thing -- clearly the author doesn't believe that Africans are inferior and neither do I -- but the common culture seems to be massively self-defeating above the village level.

The author's solutions fall into either "re-invent colonialism" with massive outside intervention into education or government processes, or "re-invent culture" with "Africans should do this" or "Africans should do that". It's hard not to agree when he says "it is thoroughly respectable to think that the continent should be left to its own fate."

[John Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! I learned a LOT, more than just common sense ideas. Very well researched.

[Tim Wester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Understands well what the issues are. Highly recommend to read

[Neeraj Bali · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incisive book by an Africa hand who does not pull punches. He punctures several myths about the reasons for the lack of development in Africa, including the burden of slavery, colonization, adverse impact of globalization and indifference of the rest of the world. He underscores the responsibility of Africans themselves to develop their continent and blames the donors for not being brutally honest with the recipients of the aid and holding them accountable. He makes a strong case for democracy, transparency and rigorous assessment of progress based on aid. He prescribes ten ways in which Africa can pick itself up but one comes away with a feeling that none of those measures are about to be adopted voluntarily by the rulers of African continent or by the donors.

[Ilgvars · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got familiar with this book in order to find out more about the challenges surrounding foreign aid.
I found it refreshing and readable, interviewed with personal experiences from high ranked practitioner rather than observer. Besides personal insight it also offers World banks perspective on many issues including Structural Adjustment Programs, Chad - Cameron Oil Pipe and others.
The ten recommendations seem sensible, but the lack of supporting evidence or data throughout the book keeps great share of skepticism and doubt in me alive. Nevertheless I found the book as a valuable insight for the issues surrounding foreign aid.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book with lots of very important and practical insight into the problem in Africa and the solutions needed to get it on the right track. I would have given it a full 5 stars were it not for the author's blatant use of shoving his homosexuality in the reader's face and his opinion of the Iraq war, both of which have absolutely no purpose other than to further his agenda on those fronts.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clear case for how Africa has some terrible leadership. Some omission of the colonial legacy of that leadership and fairly self-deifying.

New concepts -- demand for neo-colonial rule.

[Marsha]

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[Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

One perspective on why Africa is not improving despite the millions of dollars poured into the continent each year.

[Alisha Niehaus Berger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting, smart, and depressing. But also inspiring. So many simultaneous truths.