In sub-Saharan Africa, populations are poor. Very poor. Canada sends the greater part of its international aid to that region. With the support of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), L’Itinéraire is launching a series of articles on various non governmental organizations (NGOs) in those countries that are plagued with dire needs but are also full of potential. First off, a brief look at the main issues of international aid in this region, as part of the Africa-Canada Forum.

On the world’s poorest continent, the matter of fighting poverty with economic development arises often when discussing international aid. One of the avenues used to develop the economy is the transformation of subsistence farming into a revenue-generating activity. “We must identify products that have a commercial potential and support farmers, allow them to be better organized, more productive, to improve their products’ quality and to take commercialization into their own hands”, explains Roch Harvey from the Center for International Studies and Cooperation (CISC), one of the NGOs that form the Africa-Canada Forum Working Group.

Two realities hinder economic development. Firstly, free trade is far from being the norm in Africa. “African countries perform very few commercial exchanges with one another because they impose high tariff barriers. The greater part of government revenue comes from these tariff barriers. Each country tries to be as self-sufficient as possible, but it doesn’t work. It must change", believes Mr. Harvey.

Secondly, Northern countries prevent African countries from gaining access to their markets by imposing tariff barriers. “Free trade is only practiced in the direction of our interests”, denounces Mr. Harvey.

Rwanda en 2002, refugies camp Photo: CECI

The Case of Cotton
The production of cotton illustrates this point. “Western African countries produce high quality cotton. Cultivation is not industrial but family-based, and it provides for thousands of people in the area”, explains Mr. Harvey.

The United States are also a great cotton producer. The American government subsidizes its companies heavily, and they thus manage to sell their cotton on international markets at prices below the cost of production. “Because of this, Africa is no longer able to sell its cotton internationally and producers starve. This is absurd: the people of the North ask Africa to stop begging, but prevent its development”, says Mr. Harvey, adding that some NGOs work with the producers so that this point of view can be heard globally.

Great Health Needs
According to the Africa-Canada Forum, access to health care is also a burning issue. “It is very difficult for the population to get care. There is a striking lack of material and financial resources, and much corruption", says Sylvie Perras, Program Officer of the Africa-Canada Forum. NGOs thus have to compensate the failures of public services through various endeavours.

Furthermore, the fight against HIV/AIDS is far from won. “Large-scale awareness campaigns and various projects were set up to support individuals living with HIV and their families, and have had some success. Access to generic medication, however, is still very restricted, and NGOs put pressure on governments and pharmaceutical companies to liberate patents”, says Mr. Harvey.

Mining Companies
Canadian mining companies are very present in sub-Saharan Africa, and their conduct is not always exemplary. "We impose no social responsibility regulations. Pressure is exerted on countries for them to make their territory as appealing as possible for these companies by agreeing to behaviours that have a negative impact on the population and the environment", deplores Ms. Perras.

The worst is that the presence of mining companies really has no positive impact on the local economy of these African countries. “The jobs created are usually instable, poorly paid and short-term”, she adds. The Africa-Canada Forum wants businesses to have to answer to someone, and it wants northern governments to support their southern counterparts on this issue.

Pursuing Literacy
We cannot discuss sub-Saharan Africa without discussing literacy. “In some countries, the situation has improved. In others, it has worsened. Cultural constraints are still often very strong, which means that many women and girls do not have access to an education”, claims Mr. Harvey.

Furthermore, in some countries, education has lost its appeal. “In the 1960s, almost all those who studied were sure to obtain a civil servant job! Since the World Bank has forced many countries to reduce the size of their civil service, many people ended up unemployed after their studies. Considering that a child who attends school is no longer productive for his family and leads to expenses, many families are discouraged”, he explains.