Aid:A failure of purpose

Jeevan Vasagar writes "...What exactly are the NGOs trying to achieve? If the purpose of aid work is to diminish poverty, the past decade looks like a dramatic failure...Reliance on aid can be dangerous. Ultimately, it threatens to sever the political contract between the government and those it governs...Ending poverty appears to have little to do with overseas aid or the activities of NGOs. It has to do with pragmatic governments that create a business-friendly environment and place a heavy emphasis on education.By contrast, Africa has suffered from rulers who are parasites on their people, where the elites loot resources to line their own pockets and create an environment where investors fear to tread.Dependence on aid will only prolong the lives of these parasite states..."
photo courtesy of the Guardian Unlimited