Abolish user fees?
Africans query World Bank, IMF governance mantra
The IMF and World Bank's emphasis on good governance in African countries is ironic
Authors:
; Bretton Woods Project
Publisher:
Bretton Woods Project, 2001
This article discusses the recent trip of President James Wolfensohn and IMF Managing Director Horst Koehler to Mali and Tanzania to meet 22 African leaders in February. The theme of their visit was discussions concerning good governance.
Ironically, the efforts to listen to civil society groups directly were minimal. Although, the World Bank says it has recently shifted from an explicit emphasis on poverty reduction and quality of governance, the extent and meaning of this shift are debated, however. The Bank prioritises creating a stable environment for foreign investment, while Tanzanian and Malian NGO networks emphasise the democratic deficits in their countries and the high social costs of privatising basic services.
The article is critical of the World Bank's pride in highlighting Tanzania and an example of aid finance combining with policy advice and technical assistance, ultimately supporting the the reform process. In reality critics say that such reforms have produced an elite upper class of people in the country.
Critics of the IMF and World Bank call on them to:
- develop clear and transparent planning, implementation and monitoring processes, involving ordinary people
- end privatisation and user fees in health, education, water and sanitation
- ensure that macroeconomic reform is redesigned to prioritise poorer people
- cancel all debt
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