(The ultimate irony of the academic left’s disdain for the World Bank is that the multilateral government agency’s prescription for third world woes does not usually differ radically from that which is favored by campus activists, namely, foreign aid, as the following story shows.—ed.)
World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz discussed various foreign-aid challenges and opportunities, especially those concerning Africa, at the Heritage Foundation on Monday, July 31.
Wolfowitz, who has served 24 years of public service under seven different presidents, declared two current, main goals of the World Bank: development in Africa and fighting corruption.
Emphasizing the countless problems that afflict African nations, Wolfowitz spewed a long stream of statistics and figures about the destitute continent. “In the last 20 years, the number of people living in Sub-Saharan Africa has nearly doubled,” he said.
Wolfowitz went on, noting the prevalence of diseases that oppress the African people. “Forty percent of people with HIV in the world live in Sub-Saharan Africa,” he said. “Ninety percent of the world’s population infected with malaria—which kills 3,000 people a day—also live in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Stressing the need for change, Wolfowitz added that “malaria is a preventable disease that can be eradicated.”
Among the many issues in Africa that the World Bank hopes to mend is the education system, which pales in comparison to that of most other continents. “One-third of girls and one-half of boys don’t complete primary school,” Wolfowitz said.
Citing these problems as prime examples of Africa’s devastation, Wolfowitz affirmed that it “has to be the first priority of the World Bank.”
While many people have written off aiding Africa as a fruitless mission, Wolfowitz does not believe that “Africa is a hopeless case.” “Africans themselves are taking steps to meet the challenges that face them,” he said. “Its richest and best hope is its people; they are Africa’s greatest natural resource.”
In fact, 15 African countries have been able to maintain a growth rate of 4 percent over the last 10 years, which is a vast improvement, according to Wolfowitz. “Africa is moving towards greater peace and stability,” he said, citing the end of genocide in Rwanda as an example. “Eleven years ago [during the genocide], Rwanda had little functioning infrastructure and no judicial system,” said Wolfowitz. “Now they rank as one of the best reformers.”
Liberia has also made progress recently, as they elected their first female president, who defeated a popular soccer star in the race for office. “Another one of the most impressive examples [of reform in Africa] is Liberia,” Wolfowitz said of the country’s development over the years. “They have a budget that was actually drafted to meet the needs of the people.”
Hopeful for continued growth in Africa, Wolfowitz said that though it has been an uphill battle, “the world has seen significant progress in the past 50 years against extreme poverty.” The African people seem to share his optimism, as they came out as the most optimistic in the world, according to Wolfowitz. “[In a poll], 57 percent of Africans thought that next year would be better than the previous one,” he said.
As Wolfowitz hurriedly drew his speech to a close, he left the audience with two main messages: “Africans are taking a lead in helping themselves” and that the World Bank is “raising the bar, to create a more prosperous Africa.”
Katherine Duncan is an intern with Accuracy in Media, Accuracy in Academia’s parent group.
