Free marketeers are convinced that the problem with Africa is down to the stifling of market forces by governments wedded to inefficient interventionist policies. Countries should be encouraged to attract private sector funds rather than aid, much of which will be siphoned off into wasteful ego-boosting projects or into Swiss bank accounts. Prof Lal's laissez-faire approach is not the most extreme solution on offer. Some rightwing commentators think that Africa would be better off if its governments were abolished and countries were run by private corporations. There are signs of a turnaround in growth in recent years, but these countries have some of the lowest per capita incomes of anyworld region and there is a long way to go.
Debt relief is now part of the official approach.
However, countries have to abide by IMF programmes for six years without any backsliding in order to secure debt relief. Countries that fall off the straight and narrow, even if just for a year, go back to square one. Even those countries that do stick it out have found that the debt relief is not enough to make much difference to overstretched budgets. Uganda's problem is Africa's problem in microcosm. The global financial crisis of the past two years has been immense downward pressure on commodities, and Africa's economies are heavily commodity dependent.