From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Sat Mar 21 2009 - 07:29:50 EST
'Africa - stop relying on aid'
21/03/2009 22:23 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Friday urged African nations
to stop relying on foreign aid and work on creating sustainable wealth based
on the continent's rich resources.
"It is about time we de-link our continent's survival and foreign aid. Aid
must only be used to mitigate emergency situations," Kagame said in a
lecture at the Nelson Mandela Foundation Centre for Memory and Dialogue.
The dialogue is a platform for African leaders to talk about issues of
leadership affecting the conflict-ridden continent.
"Aid can not be a long term substitute for investment and economic growth.
This erodes the dignity and self-worth of Africans," added Kagame.
In 1994, Rwanda suffered one of the world's worst genocides where around 800
000 people, mainly minority Tutsis, were massacred by extremist Hutus.
"Africa is endowed with enormous human and material potential but remains a
region and people trapped in poverty, hunger and disease and endlessly seen
as a place for pity and charity," Kagame said.
"I must emphasise, however, that our continent is still not where it should
be," he added.
Kagame did not speak about the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo,
where his military last month ended a joint operation with Kinshasa's forces
against the rebel Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) -
whose members include perpetrators of the genocide.
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