Sustainable development requires targeted projects and investments based on clear local contextual data and aimed at the areas where they will have the greatest impact. This is difficult to achieve without an understanding of the history and effects of previous interventions, as well as an awareness of the social, political, legal, technological and economic contexts of relevant communities.
However, such comprehensive data is not easily accessible in a single database. If this issue was addressed, there would be significant potential to save financial resources, and limit the costs of repeating previous unsuccessful interventions by governments, international agencies, individual philanthropists and charities. In 2015, the UK government alone spent £2,759m on African development (DFID, 2015). It is vital to ensure such large investments are fruitful.
NIAS believes that aid should also work hand in hand with private investment in order to support sustainable development. Commercial investments are key in putting an end to the phenomenon of the ‘begging bowl’ syndrome so much associated with Africa, whereby countries are not given an opportunity to develop their economies to become independent. Therefore, the ADP is aimed at a larger audience comprising the private sector in order to bolster profitable investments in Africa.