OPINION:There is a very feasible alternative to handing hundreds of millions to corrupt leaders in Africa, writes JOHN O'SHEA.
DOING exactly the same but expecting a different result is generally recognised as a sign of madness. Yet this is precisely what the Department of Foreign Affairs has been doing over the past number of years. So, with a new Taoiseach in Government Buildings and a new Minister at Iveagh House, can we hope there will be new thinking concerning the hundreds of millions of euro this country hands over to corrupt and brutal leaders in the Third World?
The first step to recovery is recognising the problem, so it is worth spelling out just how comprehensively the West has failed in its wasteful and morally bankrupt dealings with the corrupt governments of the Third World.
Over the past four decades, some 53 African countries shook off the shackles of colonialism. According to the renowned African expert Martin Meredith, some $300 billion in aid has flowed into the continent, but only two of the 53 - Botswana and South Africa - are recognised as being any better off.
Having worked in the developing world for more than three decades, Goal knows how difficult it can be to spend money effectively. We also know that you need to be in the thick of it to ensure every penny is being used to alleviate suffering. A hands-off approach leaves opportunities for money to be siphoned away.
The Government allocates €1 billion a year to the developing world. This is a colossal sum and with storm clouds on the horizon for our economy, it will not be long before taxpayers start demanding to know how effectively this money is being spent. The reality is that we don't know. We do know that the money is going to some of the world's most unscrupulous leaders.
We have no ombudsman to tell us if it is being spent productively or even if it is reaching the poor. Nor are we privy to audits on how the money is channelled because they have not been published in their entirety.
We do not even know what criteria the department uses for doling out its aid. Over the past year, the list of foundations and organisations to which we donate money has grown, but how is it spent and who benefits? The absence of an ombudsman or full, published accounts make it impossible to know.
Goal has been appealing to the Government over the past number of years to change its mindset on aid. We have consistently called on the Government to end the hugely wasteful and morally reprehensible practice of channelling hundreds of millions through corrupt governments. Instead, we want to see the Government adopting a single country and implementing a concentrated development effort. Using Irish project managers to consult with the people on the ground, the Government could set the benchmark for a new way of thinking about foreign aid.
In this way, the poorest could be targeted. It is the only guaranteed way of protecting against wholesale waste and corruption. We would advocate an entrepreneurial approach, harnessing only the best initiatives and using only the most successful models to deliver projects. Control of the purse strings gives you control of the outcome.
If we look at the example of our own health service, with all its checks and balances of democracy, it is a source of constant amazement to see billions spent for such a poor return. Even with our skill and experience, the waiting lists and bed shortages are as acute as ever. Yet inexplicably, there is an expectation that if we give money to countries such as Tanzania or Ethiopia - whose government Amnesty International accused of being behind the killing of 13 civilians in Somalia - that somehow they will spend it productively.
The rich tradition of Irish missionaries in the Third World puts Ireland in a unique position to lead by example, but there is no point in attempting to solve today's aid problems using yesterday's tools.
I am appealing to the new Taoiseach and new Minister for Foreign Affairs to adopt a new approach and focus our resources in an entrepreneurial rather than a bureaucratic fashion.
John O'Shea runs the charity Goal