Africa’s Development: The World Bank proposes a New Instruments: Program-for-Results (PforR)
Can we trust the World Bank again? In the 1980s, the Structural Adjustment Programs were announced as final remedies for Africa’s under-development disease. Today, we all know the result. There is no comment to be done anymore. Even the FAO and other United Nations’ agencies have reported on damages caused by Structural Adjustment Programs in developing societies. States’ capabilities to achieve a minimal food security for their citizens have been broken through imposed privatizations. Social assistance programs to the most vulnerable social categories have been cancelled. The public sector in its symbolic dimension have been destroyed. The consequences of those imposed policies are obvious: increase in child mortality rate, increase of the number of HIV-infected persons, massive emigration of young Africans, brain drain, etc.
The Bank reappears on the international arena with another instrument meant to provide more results, more accountability and more sustainability in funds receiving countries. The Vice- President of the Bank explains in the video tape below how effective the Program-For-Result’s instrument will be in developing countries.
Since the Bretton Woods conferences of summer 1944 which lead to the creation of the World Bank and attached financial agencies, Africa has experienced no other situation than civil wars, hunger, starvation and now HIV-AIDS. The World Bank has got enough time to apply all their policies. It has failed in securing minimal food security for poor Africans. Instead of acknowledging the damages caused by wrong policies and then publicly apologize, a new instrument for the financing of development projects is rather proposed. Should we trust the bank again? Let’s us listen to Mr. Joachim von Amsberg.
For details: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTRESLENDING/Resources/Program_for_Results_policy_paper1.pdf
The World Bank’s fellowship program: Complementary Training for African graduates working in public sector Histoire officielle et vérité des faits: La politique nous dicte-t-elle sa loi?
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