African corruption...

[rory_20_uk]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Corruption costs African countries an estimated 25% of its combined national income, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said - some $148bn a year.

The outgoing leader of the African Union called the problem "a preventable loss" and said that industries such as oil, gas and minerals were worst hit.

He blamed "unpatriotic citizens", who he said were looting African resources. The West was collaborating, he added, by allowing the proceeds from graft to be held in banks outside Africa.

Speaking at the the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Abuja, Mr Obasanjo promised a "war against corruption" in Nigeria, which is notorious for graft.


Mr Obasanjo said revenue from extractive industries - mining and oil production - was "a major contributor to this monumental and preventable loss".

"The popular 'paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty' is a daily experience in many African countries rich in oil, gas and minerals," the president said.

"The majority of citizens in these countries still lack basic health and educational facilities."

'Collaboration'

EITI was formed as part of an effort to oblige governments to open their oil accounts to scrutiny, and to hold them accountable for their income.

"Unpatriotic citizens in our midst loot our resources and cart the proceeds away into Western banks with the collaboration of Western financial systems," Mr Obasanjo said, in comments quoted by the This Day newspaper.

"When we signed into EITI in 2003, we resolved to implement it through a model of coalition."

President Obasanjo blamed the prevalence of corruption revealed by recent audits on the "institutional decay and dislocation that our country suffered over the last two decades".

"Our challenge is to use the impetus granted us by these audits to transform our revenue reporting mechanisms, production institutions and human personnel for a more transparent extractive industry," he said.

He said civil society organisations could serve as "whistle blowers that can complement our anti-corruption drive".

Rather puts our "aid" in perspective, doesn't it?

I'm not pasting this merely to say that therefore we shouldn't give anything, but I was amazed at how large the figure truely is.

It seems that the West should at least for the moment stop giving many countries money as such, but help rigorously tackle the corruption that is endemic. This would both include active mesures such as finding the perpotrators, as well as more passive ones like telling Switzerland to stop taking money, no questions asked... Honestly, I know they don't break any laws - but that's only because they don't ask questions!

Or would it be better if the UN got involved on these issues - or would te votes get vetoed by the very countries that itd try to help????

[Fragony]

The smaller the organisation the better, so please not the UN. We shouldn't send money because it will only make things worse, we should send people and technoligy. If we have to masturbate, charity should adopt a small village so we can see direct benefit and know why the hell we even bother in the first place. I adopted 1 moldavian grandpa, send him 20 euro a month and am actually making a difference. It helps a lot if you know it works.

[Louis VI the Fat]

It seems that the West should at least for the moment stop giving many countries money as such, but help rigorously tackle the corruption that is endemic. This would both include active mesures such as finding the perpotrators, as well as more passive ones like telling Switzerland to stop taking money, no questions asked...

Nah, keep the current system.
British working class gives aid to Africa -> African leaders steal aid -> transfer money to Swiss bank account -> withdraw their money after they're toppled -> squander it in Monaco, Paris and the Côte d'Azur -> where it ends up in Louis' pockets.

[Red Peasant]

Didn't somebody say that foreign aid is "taking money from poor people in rich countries and giving it to rich people in poor countries". Just about sums most of it up.

I like the new(ish) Oxfam initiative where you pick what you want to send from their catalogue and it goes directly to the people concerned. Most popular items are, apparently, goats and water filtration units. I'm gonna buy a goat for an African village and call her Mabel.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

An African my dad met, yeah my dad again, said the best thing West could do wouls be to set up a bank to lend small companies money directly, cutting out the government altogether. Without a vital private sector the politicians hold all the strings and that leads to corruption.