Aid to Africa: An Appraisal of U.K. Policy for Aid to Africa South of the Sahara

Aid to Africa is concerned with aid to Africa south of the Sahara, excluding the Republic of South Africa, an area containing 188 million persons, only about 13 per cent of the inhabitants of all underdeveloped areas. Particular attention is given to British aid policy, and hence with the fifteen UK and ex-UK territories, which receive almost all British aid to Africa south of the Sahara. They also account for half of the world total of UK aid. The first three chapters deal with certain problems of African economies which need to be appreciated as a background to aid policy. These include population growth and the problem of absorptive capacity. The next four chapters focus on aid and aid policy, covering the use of aid and its supervision, donors' policies, UK aid policy, and technical assistance. The final chapter draws some conclusions. Among these is that the emphasis of aid to Africa needs to shift to agriculture and rural development. Partly for this reason, the UK should enter more closely into the design of projects and the operation of programs.