Bush to Double Aid to Africa [again]

George W. Bush, who has contributed more funds to aid Africa than any other American president has dreamed of doing, has agreed to double again this nation's contribution.

BBC reports:

President George W Bush has proposed doubling US aid to Africa over the next five years.

He said this would happen if African leaders made a commitment to honest government and the rule of law.

....

Mr Bush said the US would double assistance to the region by 2010, but stressed trade and good government were as important as financial aid.

He said the "primary focus" would be on "reforming countries".

African leaders, he said, must be the "agents of reform" rather than "passive recipients of money".

Read it here.

This has been the sticking point all along. Actvist rock stars and their media stooges insist that throwing money at Africa will magically transform the continent. The US has learned through bitter experience that without strict accountability and systematic institutional reform, that money is largely wasted.