Massive spending on food aid is not sustainable. Nor does it offer a solution. Instead, more money needs to be spent on building resilience to such crises over the longer term. It would take less than $1m to accurately map the economy of Somalia and the Greater Horn, showing trade routes and migration patterns, documenting the important businesses and businessmen, and detailing the mostly illicit trade in livestock, fish, charcoal and qat. Such a relatively small investment could help donor countries better to decide where their taxpayers’ money should be spent—and withheld.
—
The Horn of Africa: Where did the famine go? | The Economist
slowly, going to “dead aid” conclusions
