Hello,

My name is Emauwa Nelson and I'm leading the research for an exciting new initiative, Hacking Development, a project of award-winning organisation, kiwanja.net.

You can read a little more about the project at www.hackingdevelopment.org

Given the growing argument that foreign aid has failed to help Africa's development, we are seeking the thoughts and opinions of everyday Africans themselves - the ones who are often missing in the debate.

This is your chance to have your opinion heard. The project aims to start a new conversation about reframing aid and development for technology and other projects. Your thoughts will be helpful in shaping future approaches of development aid to better help Africa, and with your permission will be published on a new website we will be launching in the next month.

Please what are your thoughts on the following questions:

What are your views on all the money given to African countries as foreign aid for development; does it help or harm our development?
How do you feel about people from other countries coming over to try and fix our health, education, agriculture, technology and other problems; Is it good, or does it make us dependent on others to solve our problems? What do you think makes us not able to fix our problems by ourselves?

Many thanks!

There was a television program I watched on 14 July 2005, titled: "AFRICA WEALTHY, YET POOR" on SABC Africa program:  Africa Journal, Voice of America, an African TV program which was presented from USA. This was about Africa been rich with minerals more than the developed world, but Africans been very poor that the developed world. This indicated how Africa is rich with minerals, while Africans are generally poor and lives in poverty. 

These are contradicting circumstances faced by Africa which proves that something is wrong with us, Africans.  This is not about Africans not having wisdom, capital and machinery to establish Mines, or about slavery and colonialism which Africa comes from. The saddest part of all these is that, Africans are the ones who did and still do the mining as employees. All the jobs, whether mining, construction or any other job, the rich just establish the businesses or companies and all the jobs are executed by Africans as employees. So it's clear that Africans possess all the skills and the rich just provide the platform.

So Africa is rich with minerals and skills and we only lack leadership to provide a platform to ensure that all these resources we possess as Africans are used to the benefit of ordinary Africans at large. With proper leadership, African wealth of minerals, even farming because Africa is also rich with farming land, can be used to improve the standard living of all Africans.

So in nutshell, all these challenges of depending on handouts from the developed and depending on them to fix our problems, is nothing but lack of proper African Leadership. If you think that Africans, before white people came to Africa, lived on Agriculture, but now we depend on the rich farmers to feed us? It's a shame! The Nations that are unable to feed themselves are doomed. Agriculture is one of the easiest opportunities that we can use to feed ourselves and in the process improve our standard of living! But where is the Leadership?

Africa, like anywhere in the world, it's a continent with abundance of wealth enough to ensure a decent and dignified lifestyle for all Africans and even the world. All we need is Truthful and Trustworthy Leadership! And not handouts and assistance from the developed world!

What are your views on all the money given to African countries as foreign aid for development; does it help or harm our development?

All the monies given to African countries as foreign aid, harm the continent, because at this stage the continent suppose to have passed the level of development they'e now. Most of these monies end in private accounts of the governments' officials. Is a waste of time and efforts simple.

How do you feel about people from other countries coming over to try and fix our health, education, agriculture, technology and other problems; Is it good, or does it make us dependent on others to solve our problems?
They should stop coming so that African continent can be forced to learn to fix their problems.

What do you think makes us not able to fix our problems by ourselves?
Because Africans leaders by default are trained to seek for foreign help.   

development or some other work, the rich simply set up the organizations or organizations and all the positions are executed by Africans as representatives. So unmistakably Africans have all the abilities and the rich simply give the stage.

hello good one

This is your chance to have your opinion heard. The project aims to start a new conversation about reframing aid and development for technology and other projects. Your thoughts will be helpful in shaping future approaches of development aid to better help Africa, and with your permission will be published on a new website we will be launching in the next month.

This is your chance to have your opinion heard. The project aims to start a new conversation about reframing aid and development for technology and other projects. Your thoughts will be helpful in shaping future approaches of development aid to better help Africa, and with your permission will be published on a new website we will be launching in the next month.