Can Aid Do More Harm Than Good?

In its Indepth look into Africa's Food Crisis , the BBC News site explores 'How systemic problems have led to hunger being rife across the continent'.

A critical and controversial question it raised was ' Can Aid do More Harm than Good?'. When Niger's president last year accused aid agencies of exaggerating his country's food crisis for their own gain, Western media reacted with shock. How dare he bite the hand that feeds his people, commentators asked. Many suggested the president was making excuses for the failings of his own government.

But according to some leading aid experts, Mamadou Tandja had a point. His remarks may have been self-serving, they concede, but they also raised serious issues about the way aid emergencies are sometimes handled. [Article]

The linkage between 'how we give (aid)' and 'the impact made' was also the focal point of discussion in the last spotlight, "Beyond Charity: Impact of 'Giving' on 'Recipient'", on DevelopmenTwist's Development Discussion Den.