Africa Doesn't Matter

For eight years, Giles Bolton worked for the British Government's Department for International Development (DFID), in countries as far flung as Kenya, Rwanda and Iraq. Idealistic and committed, he was determined to make a difference, but instead found himself confronted by an appallingly wasteful global aid industry and a persistently unequal trade system. He also began to see how Africa was being ripped off in its relations with the West, and how the western consumer and taxpayer was also losing out as a result. Born of both passion and frustration, This book addresses the five crucial issues at the heart of this dilemma - Poverty, Aid, Trade, Globalisation and Change. It draws on Giles Bolton's personal experiences to answer the questions behind the campaigns and concerts: Why is Africa still poor? What really happens to our aid money? How do trade rules affect the ordinary consumer at the checkout? And will the new promises made by Tony Blair and others finally make a difference?