You know aid money works

Franklin Cudjoe, Executive Director of the ever growing Ghanaian free-market think-tank IMANI (one wonders if any of the G8 bozos will ever listen to people like him) has sent out the following e-mail:

One More reason Why Foreign Aid stinks...

Ghanaian Government blows more than $1.4m on gold medals.

Only in Africa will prominence be placed on luxurious items as Presidential Jets, palaces, gold-plated cars and medallions forofficialdom at the expense of public infrastructure and open sewers that spread disease. To think that gold medals for supposedly national heroes (when in actual fact, the economy stagnates) in a 'poor' country will cost US$1.5 million can't be described as modest.

Never mind that Ghana's Presidentcan purchase two Presidential jets under dodgy circumstances, completely shutting out the country's Parliament from the initial purchasing arrangements. However, be sure that at the next available photo-opportunity with G-8 leaders we'll be begging for more Aid dollars. If only these Aid givers knew

Would they care if they knew? Would all those people who demonstrate and wear wristbands to make poverty history and demand that we make one more push and up the aid care? Of course not. They don't want to see African countries do well; they merely want to have a warm fuzzy self-satisfied feeling.

Here is the story as covered by the BBC, complete with several useful quotes, including one from a representative of IMANI; and here it is on Ghana News.