I just realized that Andrew Mwenda’s talk from TED Global has been made public. This was the talk that started all of the “aid vs trade” debates and the one that got some friendly heckling from Bono (look for it at the 6:27 mark).
Mwenda on wealth creation:
“Sending somebody to school and giving them medicines does not create wealth for them. Wealth is a function of income, and income comes from you finding a profitable trading opportunity or a well paying job.”
It would be safe to say that George Ayittey’s and Andrew Mwenda’s talks set a lot of the tone for the whole conference. More excellent coverage of this particular talk by Ethan Zuckerman.
September 11, 2007 at 7:01 am
I really found myself swept away by this talk. His presentation was short and sweet and yet addressed the issue properly.
Aid will never be a long term solution to Africa’s problems as Andrew rightly says, thats why I am happy to see the likes of the AfriInvest and the Acumen Fund investing in Africa.