Are the UN Millenium crew coming to their senses? The Guardian reports on comments made by Sylvia Mwichuli:
African countries need to find alternative sources to money to finance their national budgets, rather than rely on overseas aid, according to an official from the UN millennium campaign..."African governments must find ways of financing development; we are calling for a paradigm shift in financing of development, not depending on donors,"More here
Gregory Clark questions Jeffery Sach's Millenium Project:
The long history of living standards suggests that the Sachs plan is more likely to further impoverish Africa than enrich it. The promised health improvements and one-time gains in crop yields cannot create sustained improvement of living conditions.
Industrializing Africa is the only way to solve its poverty. The industrialization of coastal China — accompanied by declining public health provision, a neglect of agriculture, and environmental degradation — ultimately transformed the lives of the Chinese
Sam Rich critiques Jeffery Sachs millennium villages:
If Sauri(A millenium village) is to become a useful model for development on a bigger scale, and not just another development expert’s white elephant, Sachs and others working on the project must acknowledge that they are still learning about Africa. Sauri is not yet a success.
Lasting changes in Sauri will come about not through distribution of commodities, but through education for children and training for adults. To put it another way, give a man a mosquito net, and when it rips, he’ll come and ask for another one. But show him how using a mosquito net benefits his health and how it will save him money on medication in the long run, and he might just go out and buy one for himself.