When Africans have the right to own property with legal protection they will be able to accumulate wealth and prosper. Unless African governments make laws to protect private property rights, the continent will continue to fester and stagnate. Africans are poor because they are poorly led. As to American aid, “he who pays the piper calls the tune”.
Gus MacDonald, Angels Camp, California Why should the US always have its way? America’s Republican Government has no interest in relieving African suffering. Can you see why we wanted a Democrat? Zaria Murtala, Lagos, Nigeria
Why do G8 representatives need to meet anyway, when they could use e-mail, telephones and video conferences? Nobody with a proper job to do would attend a summit. Alan Calverd, Bishops Stortford, Herts
I almost cannot bear to say it, but the President is right. I find it interesting that Gordon Brown wants to hit on a group of corrupt Arab "leaders" to help out a group of even more corrupt "leaders" in Africa. No one seriously believes the lot of the average African will be improved by this. Where oh where is the accountability for decades of brazen government thievery all across the African continent? Lower trade barriers by all means, but pour in more $$$, I think not. Raymond Briant, Princeton, New Jersey
The GOP will not support corrupt African regimes with taxpayer money. At a bare minimum, Americans demand significant political and economic reforms in Africa. Ideally, we would like to avoid Africa completely. Further aid will require convincing arguments backed by concrete evidence that reforms are succeeding. Any American politician, GOP or Democrat, will be voted out of office if they waste public funds on a non-strategic region that has, for the most part, not proven itself capable of lasting reforms. Selling Africa to Americans will be a tough slog. We are aware that Britain still feels it has a stake in the Continent. For our part, we have no such connection. Walt Wyckoff, San Francisco, California
To the poverty stricken people of Africa, there can never be enough aid provided by the more fortunate countries of the West, but that is an oversimplification of what is really needed. Africa needs democracy and the removal of despot dictators and military thugs intent on perpetuating civil wars; it needs education to develop societies with skills and knowledge to build and plan for the future and it needs openness and fairness within the world economy so that its commerce and industry can compete with more developed and powerful countries. Yes, a bag of flour or a capsule of medicine is important now but it must be part of a strategy which will see the removal of any obstacles to a future where Africa can stand on its own two feet. Keith Downer, London
Africa has always been Europe's playground of imperialism. How is it right that the US should bail out Europe’s failures in Africa. At some point, America will stop bailing Europe out of the problems they can't take care of themselves. William Redman, Cincinnati, Ohio
Not one penny or centimo of mine will go to the African despots to buy their latest mistress a new mink in Paris. Victor Cowen, Malaga
This is of course Blairite populism at play. Africa needs a serious dose of reality. Tribalism, promiscuity and brutality are rife - how and why should we encourage this? Band Aid helped Ethiopia to get out of famine and into tribal war. There is no poverty in cash terms; Africa is starved of intellectual capital. David Eppel, Guildford, Surrey
Of course George Bush is right. Otherwise he'd be aiding and abetting our inept and corrupt leaders in their rape of our resources and abuse of international goodwill. Let it now be said that those in the West who fail to hold our African leaders to account for the rot in the continent will be abdicating their moral responsibility and by extension, contributing to the woes of Africa. Dave Leaders, Sapele, Nigeria
For the very first time, I agree with the US president. What African or Third World nations need is an international criminal and human rights abuse investigation into how past aid has seemingly increased poverty, while leaders remain very rich. Third World nations do not need debt relief but credit security. Paul Akpoguma, York
George Bush has the right policy although the exact amount and targeting of US debt relief is an arguable point. Corruption in Africa is rife and without a solution, any money spent is money badly spent. Some African countries are making progress; debt relief and aid should be targeted there to accelerate change. Mr Bush is right and we've seen it time and time again; if you give money to corrupt regimes they get richer and more corrupt. We've wasted hundreds of millions of pounds over the years as a result. Anthony Totton, Ipswich
Political grandstanding over ever greater quantities of aid money, while erecting and maintaining trade quotas and tariffs, is hypocritical and obscene. Far better to spend the cash moving our own economies away from the markets where, rightfully, developing nations should be under-cutting us. We should be marching on Brussels to abolish the CAP instead. Andrew Harbourne, London
Sadly, I have to agree with the tenor of the debate that pouring money into Africa is a pointless exercise. But nor is inaction acceptable. We have to find a way to improve African economies that bypasses the corrupt leadership. This will be far from easy but the removal of trade barriers and the ending of farm subsidies - in the US as much as in Europe - would be a good start. James Davies, London
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