Page 440 - Volume 2_CHANGES_merged_with links

Community Economic Development

‘ubuntu’ - 'I Am Because We Are'

response that probably the UK Aid funded road had done very little for local people other
than perhaps providing some jobs during the road construction.

But then something the minister said jarred with me. He referred to the rusty sign that

stood by the side of the driveway that takes you from the public road to the hotel entrance.
It was rusty. But the minister's comment seemed to be one of those 'they don't help

themselves' comments. I may be wrong, but that is what it seemed to me.
And that crystallised for me the inadequacy of the way DfiD (now FCDO) prepare and

support UK Government Ministers, almost all of whom are in post for relatively short

periods of time.
The minister was unaware that staying as he did in another hotel, where staff working

in one of the best regularly paid jobs almost certainly earn less than USD 2 per day, was

visiting a town afflicted by absentee landlords.
And so to the minister's 'minder'. I'm sure he's a nice guy and I'm probably doing him

an injustice. Ours was a chance meeting, and chance meetings are not the best way to

measure anyone. (I should know. Throughout my life I have regularly said dumb and clumsy things at any
number of chance meetings)
But nevertheless, the abiding impression of the 'minder' was that of an intellectual

parrot. Whatever the brief exchanges that passed between the minister and myself, the

'parrot' would chip in with one of those 'pc acceptable' university graduate aid-related
'worthy' statements.

It was a brief meeting. A chance meeting with no script, no agenda. But still I left
feeling sorry for the minister. And wondering about UK International Aid.

*****

Africans want jobs. Especially jobs that pay a regular wage. Even if it’s only US$ 2 a day.
Robert, the 2 class bicycle mechanic from south-west Uganda, spoke for most of Sub-
nd
Saharan Africa.