Funny, the world is always looking for ways to feed Africa, but these days Africa seems to set to feed the world! Just goes to show that when given the opportunity to take care of themselves Africans are up to the challenge.

In an interview with American Public Radio’s Kai Ryssdal, G. Pascal Zachary (author of The Coming Revolution in Africa.… super long, but worth it!) said:

…I think the aid donors have realized that the key is not just giving better seeds to countries in Africa, but finding them buyers. So in Malawi this past year, farmers made record incomes in part because there were buyers to buy all that stuff. And farmers have shown themselves to be pretty darn responsive to having customers

Uhhh… well yeah, helps to have a buyer… how long did it take us to come to this realization? Have we forgotten when Africa provided 10% of the worlds foodstuffs? Well yes, as a matter of fact we have.

This whole interview is quite good and worth a listen

This validates what many Africans are themselves saying. NO MORE AID please. It is evident that Africa is fully capable of supporting itself. The people have the will and the land has the resources to sustain itself and then some. AID monies are best spent giving African entrepreneurs and farmers access to markets and improving their yields by providing education if farming methods.

Programs like the East and Central Africa (ECA) Trade Hub are making a difference on the ground and helping Africans help themselves. The result? Exports from East African countries are climbing. According to USAID

Technical assistance and trade fair support have so far produced over US $14 million in incremental export sales for enterprises in East Africa.

According to the US Department of State Uganda has huge potential:

Uganda’s Trade Exports (2006/2007) equaled $1.5 billion: coffee, fish and fish products, tea, electricity, horticultural products, vanilla, cut flowers. Major markets–EU, Kenya, South Africa, U.K., U.S. (It is worth mentioning that Uganda’s GDP is only $10.8 billion, so that 1.5 billion is a significant proportion of GDP)

ECONOMY
Uganda’s economy has great potential. Endowed with significant natural resources, including ample fertile land, regular rainfall, and mineral deposits, it appeared poised for rapid economic growth and development at independence. However, chronic political instability and erratic economic management produced a record of persistent economic decline that left Uganda among the world’s poorest and least-developed countries.

Sadly, politics and corruption seem to be standing in the way of making East African countries like Uganda the powerhouses they could be. Kenya which seemed to be headed toward prosperity serves as a warning marker for all African nations. It will be recovering from this election for a while. IF however governments step up and take the job of running the nation and the economy with the serious attention it deserves, the potential is there for real, long term economic growth.