Dark side of giving : The rise of #philanthro-capitalism - Economic Times
►http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-03-25/news/29188722_1_rwanda-agra-agriculture
Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (#AGRA) — an initiative driven by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda #Gates Foundation, the oldest and the largest philanthropic repositories, respectively, in the world? The Gates Foundation alone has committed $264.5 million to AGRA.
“They are using the pitiable condition of the African people to get a foothold into the continent,” explains Som Pal. “Their large philanthropic resources are being utilised to further the interests of business.” In countries with weak governance mechanisms, like in Africa, it becomes a lot easier.
(...) There is its growing stranglehold in the policy-making space across emerging markets, especially in education, healthcare and agriculture.
The $23.1-million investment by the Gates Foundation in #Monsanto, the world’s largest producer of GM seeds, is a small example of a trend.