International
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by Odharnait Ansbro
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The answer was to design software solutions to everyday problems in Ghana. In 2009, DreamOval was commissioned by

Donor governments have recognised that aid has not led to sustained economic growth but their answer is ‘more and better aid’. On World Poverty Day, April 18th 2010, Gordon Brown said “We must…focus more on the empowerment of people and countries through their equitable and sustainable growth”. But he believes the key to achieving this is the agreement of a $200 billion aid package at a UN summit on development in New York this September. The UK government says that in recent years it has untied aid and led efforts to secure support for an International Aid Transparency initiative to increase its the effectiveness. But are more Western led initiatives the answer?
The role of remittances
Elvina Quaison works for Afford, a charity set up in 1994 by Africans living in the UK to promote African development through entrepreneurship. She believes there is a role for aid in development but not at the expense of African initiative and autonomy. She says that Western approaches to African development, with their focus on aid, tend to ignore the important role played by the African diaspora in promoting economic growth through remittances. “I think a culture of dependence has developed, where we believe we need aid in Africa. But if we look at the importance of remittances it becomes clear that it’s possible for people from the country to develop themselves” she says. “They [the disaspora] are doing so much work that’s not highlighted, so the story of Africa and what it means to be African is one of people not able to help themselves and reliant on outside aid when that’s not actually the reality.”
The latest World Bank estimates show that remittances to developing countries amounted to $316 billion in 2009. African governments have recognised the huge potential of this source of finance and are coming up with ways of harnessing it. Both the Rwandan and Ghanaian governments have established ‘diaspora bonds’, where remittances are invested and the profits are spent on social development projects. “Like any other bond you would invest in, it’s a business. But it’s a social business, so you’re giving something and getting something back”, says Quaison.
The road ahead
Dadzie says the future for Africa is “amazingly bright”. He believes developing new technology is essential to fuelling economic growth and wants to see DreamOval software applications on every mobile phone in the world. Could DreamOval be a blueprint for the future? “It comes,” he says, “from the idea that people with different backgrounds and skills can come together as equals to achieve their dreams. It’s like in an oval-shaped football stadium where everyone is on different sides but they can all see the pitch.”