Forever the rock star, Tony Blair has chosen his final encore, a farewell tour of Africa. His choice of destinations - Libya, Sierra Leone, South Africa - guarantees him a warm reception, but also implies a sense of completion that is not representative of his involvement in Africa. Ishbel Matheson, writing in The Times, has produced the most balanced and fair-minded assessment of Blair's African achievements. He has received and continues to deserve credit for his controversial military intervention in Sierra Leone, helping to restore peace following a gruesome civil war. Blair's response to the 'scar on the conscience of the world' has been to generate headlines, as his memorable soundbite testifies, and the staggering sums of money that follows them. Yet the same passion and determination has not been applied on the distribution of these funds.
The farewell tour bypasses Ethiopia, where prime minister Meles Zenawi is no longer the poster-boy for African government that Blair once hoped he would be, he has become too concerned with jailing journalists, tapping telephones and beating up teachers. Nor will he be visiting Zambia, another beneficiary of Western aid. Former president Frederick Chiluba appealed for help to combat an escalating prevalence of Aids, but only after embezzling the country's own budget on luxury goods for himself. Shamefully, aid was duly granted.
Today, US president George W. Bush announced plans to spend $30bn on HIV/Aids relief for Africa, an unprecedented sum of money. For this admirable act to be worthwhile, it is imperative America controls how the money is spent.
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