“An Africa that can be saved”

The G-8 Summit in Scotland will analyze the desperate situation of the poorest countries. Up to now, George W. Bush has resisted Tony Blair calls in favor of doubling the aids offered to Africa until year 2010. This is a tragic mistake based on the belief that Africa can recover itself through its own effort whereas the assistance from abroad only increases corruption. All this is false: Africa is extremely poor. Many countries can use this assistance efficiently and the American contribution is extremely poor if compared with the needs of the continent, promises made and the wealth of the United States.
Africa has three great problems: it does not produce enough food, it has diseases no present in other regions of the world (people talk about AIDS but does not talk much about malaria) and it is isolated in the economic field due to the lack of infrastructure. Bush may believe the United States does a lot to help Africa to overcome these difficulties, but he must recognize the assistance is minimal. Africa needs 50 billions dollars of aid annually until 2010 to recover itself. The equitable contribution of the United States to this sum should be 15 billions. It is actually a 3 billion assistance and its almost given completely to the American advisers in Africa. This aid represents two days of the annual military budget.
Assistances are not only reduced. The arguments to justify this are false. Thus, Washington points out that if the aid is increased so will be corruption. However, poor African countries and with poor growth such as Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Benin and Malawi had less corruption than Asian countries with a good growth such as Viet Nam, Bangladesh and Indonesia, a fact that has even been acknowledged by the Millennium Challenge Account. Good governance is an essential element in Africa and other parts but corruption should not be use as an excuse not to help Africa. Africa must be helped to make its own green revolution by financing the shipment of fertilizers as well as irrigation, something which is healthier than sending food. Regarding diseases, malaria could be controlled by year 2008 with the help of methods which has proved to be efficient and not expensive, but the means to get them must be given to Africa. With 3 billion dollars Africa can equip itself with mosquito nets to considerably reduce malaria. Likewise, the African infrastructure must be developed. A network of optical fiber could be installed throughout the whole continent to introduce internet and telephone services all over Africa.
Africa is willing to get rid of the poverty if the United States and the other rich countries help it. It seems that Europe is ready to do more whereas the United Stats seems to be the usual principal obstacle. The G-8 Summit could be the opportune moment for the United States to check its policy.