To Maximize Aid Efficiency, International Community Needs ‘Better Information And Clear Understanding’
In a CNN opinion piece, Charles Lwanga Ntale, director for Africa for Development Initiatives, questions “the value and impact of international aid,” writing, “The truth is, it is actually quite hard to measure. But there are important questions about both the quantity and quality of aid that must be answered.” He reviews the findings of the Investments to End Poverty report, “a major new report that analyzes aid in all of its complexity.” He continues, “At Development Initiatives we reviewed each individual record of foreign aid from OECD donors over the period 2006-2011 — over a million rows of data. Now, for the first time ever, we can see just how much aid flows between specific countries and, crucially, what that aid consists of.” Ntale adds, “If we want to maximize the impact and reach of international aid, we need to ensure that every dollar is spent as efficiently as possible. We can only do this with better information and a clear understanding” (10/9).