IRELAND:A SURVEY by a US think-tank has ranked Ireland in second place among rich countries for commitment to development in Africa.
The Washington-based Center for Global Development found in its Commitment to Development Index for Africa, which rates rich countries on how their policies help the continent, that Ireland was second only to Sweden in a list of 21 states.
The index tracks rich countries' performance, based not only on the quantity of foreign aid but also on the quality of assistance, their openness to exports from African states, environmental stewardship and support for multilateral security. It also includes peacekeeping and migration policies.
Ireland scored particularly well in the aid quality, security, migration and environmental areas, with the authors citing its large peacekeeping troop presence in Liberia as an important factor. First-placed Sweden owed its prominence to strong showings in aid and security.
The UK, the Netherlands and Denmark were also in the top five, while Portugal owed its sixth placing to its openness to African migrants. The United States finished 13th.
By and large, the countries that give the most aid globally for their size - Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden - also dominate the Africa aid standings. One "surprise" is Ireland, the report notes, which more than any other donor concentrates its aid in Africa.
However, the report observes that among the G7, "five are mediocre or worse when it comes to living up to their potential." The United States, for instance, still gives little aid to Africa for its size, and places last when it comes to slowing global warming.
Japan was ranked in last place for its commitment to Africa, with the study pointing out that only Austria gives a smaller share of its GDP in aid to Africa. "Its trade barriers in agriculture are equivalent to a 140 per cent sales tax or VAT on crops from sub-Saharan Africa. And despite an ageing workforce it has accepted essentially no immigrants from Africa," the report states.
Commenting on the results, Minister of State for Overseas Development Peter Power said Ireland gives most of its aid to Africa because that is where poverty is concentrated, and it was heartening to see that focus recognised. "The survey also rightly highlights the very significant contribution that Ireland makes to peacekeeping in Africa, most recently with the deployment of almost 400 troops to Chad."
