Afrocapitalism and GM: blurred philanthropy?

gm2In an article for openDemocracy, Sally Brooks examines the promise of Afrocapitalism and new forms of philanthropy involving public private partnerships for development in Africa.

Brooks compares the development of Golden Rice in the 1990s and 2000s, the more recent project on Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the recent efforts of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition to attract large investments from agri-businesses in Africa.

She suggests that although debates often separate the giving and making of money in such projects, these goals become blurred in practice.  Alternative approaches may become sidelined.