Economic development in Africa

This talk basically is about the paradox of financial aid given to Africa. Much of the talk is centered on showing that this aid is ‘dead aid’. This is done by giving illustrations that show why this is the case. The central argument is that many of the African countries are not used to a saving culture, consequently aid money acts as their save boxes.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Economic development in Africa specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This has led to these countries running their budgets on aid money implying that if there is a sudden stop in flow of the aid then government operations will not proceed smoothly. Financial aid hurts the economy because the governments do nothing to encourage private investment since the funds are sourced from donors and not from domestic taxes. The talk also touches on the standards of living in Africa. It is argued that the living standards in Africa are w orse than they were in the 1970s. Life expectancies is said to be quickly shortening. It is argued that this is due to epidemics such as the HIV Aids which have greatly spread in Africa without being properly contained. The talk also focuses on the Africa-China interaction. This interaction is argued to benefit the African continent greatly. The Chinese aid to Africa is therefore applauded unlike Western aid to Africa. The explanation given is that the Chinese come to Africa to do business and not to make policies. The Chinese aid is not attached to any policy issues but is purely focused on capital projects which have enabled Africans to acquire jobs and raise their living standards. In the closing minutes of the talk, Moyo reacts to a few critics. What comes out so well is that the aid given to Africa cripples the African continent. This aid does not let the Africans do what they are supposed to do. The arguments made in this talk are quite logical. I like the comparison made betw een the Western aid and the Chinese aid. It helps to illustrate where the problem with the Western aid is. The fact that the Western aid has been doing what the African governments ought to do is a great push back to the economic development in Africa. I agree that the western financial aid in a way acts as an incentive for the government not to engage in serious economic projects. Good examples to support this assertion came out in the talk. One of them was the drug assistance to people infected with aids.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is the role of the local governments but because the western nations have always taken up this responsibility, the local governments, seemingly, have assumed that it is not their role to provide their people with the medication required. In my opinion, this kind of insulation has made the local governments to fall into laxity and there fore they have failed to stimulate economic develop in the various African nations. On the contrary, the Chinese aid seems to do the opposite of what the western aid has been doing for such a long time. The Chinese aid has been significantly in the form of infrastructure development. In the talk, road networks are mentioned. Making investment in infrastructure is significant for economic development and that is what the Chinese go to do in Africa. In conclusion, I am in agreement that Africa needs to be assisted to start off serious economic developments to cater for its own financial demands. This essay on Economic development in Africa was written and submitted by user Angeline Bailey to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

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buy custom The American Revolution essay The American Revolution is defined as the political turbulence that took place towards the end of eighteenth century when thirteen colonies in America united to attain freedom from the British Empire. The union of the thirteen colonies is now known as the United States of America. According to Clifford , the American Revolution occurred because of a series of political, intellectual, and social transformations in the American government and society, which is known as the American Enlightenment. The American Revolution created a variety of opportunities for the American slaves to attain freedom. Slaves were provided with an opportunity to escape their thralldom by being recruited in army . It has been found that the American Revolution altered the institution of slavery to some extent, either by abolishing it or through the application of gradual liberation schemes). As a result of the Revolution, the slaves gained some freedom, but they did not attain better living conditions. Slavery during the American Revolution During the American Revolution, very many slaves were freed from their bondage by running away. An approximate of three thousand slaves escaped from theirmasters in 1781 when the British invaded Virginia. About five thousand and twenty thousand slaves in Georgia and South Carolina, respectively, were freed from bondage as a result of the American Revolution. The Revolutions natural rights philosophy inspired the freed blacks to request the state legislatures to get rid of slavery and Congress to terminate the slave trade. Many of the freed slaves moved to the North because they believed that living conditions were better in the North than in the South. Unfortunately, they experienced many problems in the North, such as lack of jobs, insufficient food, and lack of housing, which forced many of them to go back to the south to work on the cotton plantations for wages. In the South, the freed slaves were assured of food and housing. Therefore, the population of slaves started to grow again in the 1790s and spread into other lands that became the cotton belt. At round 1793, cotton cultivation expanded into large scale as a result of the invention of gin. The slaves in the southern states were used as laborers in spite of the American Revolutions natural rights philosophy. According to Clifford (2005), the slave owners started to improve the lives of their slaves on the cotton planttations after a period of many years following the Revolution. The slave owners decided to better their slaves lives because of various reasons, such as need for manageable labor force, avoiding slave unrest, and to protect the livelihood of the slaves in the face of a decreased supply of import. It was until the nineteenth century when the slave owners started to become Christian patriarchs and openhearted. They stopped the inhuman treatment of their slaves because this treatment was considered as a stigma. Conclusion It is therefore evident that, the American Revolution affected the institution of slavery to some extent and failed to bring about an absolute change. Slavery continued to flourish during the American Revolution, especially in the southern states where they worked on cotton plantations. The institution of slavery would have been changed altogether if the American Revolution was effective. Actually, the institution of slavery changed as a result of some factors following many years after the Revolution. Clifford found some of these factors as: avoiding slave unrest, need for a manageable labor force, and protecting the income of the slaves because of a decreased supply of imports. Buy custom The American Revolution essay