FT.com / Comment & analysis / Comment - Why Africa needs a Marshall plan

FT.com / Comment & analysis / Comment - Why Africa needs a Marshall plan: "Why Africa needs a Marshall plan
By Glenn Hubbard and William Duggan
Published: June 4 2007 19:12 Last updated: June 4 2007 19:12

Robert Zoellick, the likely new president of the World Bank, will face a long to-do list, but at or near the top will be the dire economic conditions in much of sub-Saharan Africa. As a seasoned diplomat, Mr Zoellick will seek counsel from many sources. But the best advice may be in the history books.

Sixty years ago on Tuesday, George Marshall, US secretary of state, announced what became known as the Marshall plan for Europe in an address at Harvard University. The Marshall plan has been widely heralded as an example of the triumph of foreign aid on a grand scale. Given the high rate of extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, and that Africa is poorer today than 20 years ago, some leaders have called for a Marshall plan for Africa."