Why Support Development
Assistance?
anticipated for the United States and Europe. Eight of the
world’s 10 fastest-growing economies are in Africa.
If you visit a developing country, it’s hard to miss another potential asset: children are everywhere. Half of Africa’s population is younger than 20, while half of India’s
population is under 26. (In comparison, half the people
in the United States are younger than 37.) Today, young
adults in developing countries are an energetic generation,
better-educated than ever before. For many, technology is
an integral part of life.
There are more cell phone users in Africa than in Europe.
In Ghana, said social media entrepreneur and tech blogger
Mac-Jordan Degadjor, 85 percent of the population subscribes to a digital service. Africa’s Internet users, about 110
million now, are expected to grow exponentially in the next
decade.
Here’s how Degadjor, who’s 26, sees the future: “The
greatest opportunity for growth will come from technological innovation and the adoption of new technologies in
service sectors, such as bank ing, insurance, health, education, and agriculture. These growths in technology are very
important to me and my networks because they help shape
the socioeconomic aspect of our lives and bridge the gap
between people in Ghana and those in other parts of the
world.”
American businesses move quickly to invest in good prospects. To create an environment that attracts private sector
investment, developing countries need assistance from the
U.S. government and other donors to strengthen education, health, agriculture, and infrastructure. Businesses rely
on government to provide them with an educated, healthy,
well-nourished workforce and services such as reliable electricity and roads.
Ensuring that developing countries get the “hand up”
they need to improve the lives of their people is not only the
right thing to do—it’s a smart investment, one that’s now
paying off in countries such as Ghana.
There are two main reasons.
First, it’s the right thing to do. With the U.S. economy
still struggling, many Americans have their hands full meeting their own family’s needs and perhaps contributing to
food pantries or charities that help their communities. But
Americans have always cared about people who are hungry
overseas, too. Even in tough economic times, the American
government provides half the world’s food aid, and Americans as individuals respond generously to appeals to help
people such as survivors of the devastating earthquake in
Haiti or, earlier, the Indian Ocean tsunami.
Sometimes, though, we see skeletal Somali babies and
other suffering people on the news and realize that disaster
assistance, crucial as it is, may be too little, too late. It’s also
important to help people prepare in advance. Development
assistance may be used to build hospitals and roads or to
train doctors and nurses—all important in normal times,
but even more essential in case of disaster. Natural disasters
happen in developed countries too, most recently in Japan,
but resources and planning help make people more resilient. That’s why there was widespread starvation in Somalia
but not in Japan.
Several problems collided to cause the famine in
Somalia—armed conflict played a huge role. But one key
step in overcoming chronic hunger and preventing famine
deaths is enabling people to develop a “plan B” or even a
“plan C” for feeding their families when something goes
wrong with “plan A.” This can work even in very poor
countries. Ethiopia, noted for its devastating famines of
the past, is currently suffering from the same drought as
neighboring Somalia. However, peace and a measure of
economic development mean that unlike Somalia, Ethiopia
hasn’t lost 100,000 of its people, mostly young children, to
malnutrition.
African governments, businesses, and
nonprofits use technology routinely.
World Bank/Arne Hoel
Second, it’s the smart thing to do. Already, half of U.S.
exports go to emerging markets. People in developing countries become customers of the United States once they are
able to develop their local economies and generate surplus
income. It makes sense to invest in the future by ensuring
that potential customers have sufficient nutritious food. After all, a malnourished population is ill-equipped to build a
prosperous economy.
Many African countries, in particular, have enjoyed
strong economic growth for several years now. For 2012,
experts again predict high economic growth rates—5.75
percent for sub-Saharan Africa as a whole, far higher than
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