The largest of these organisations frequently organise expensive conferences in plush surroundings, flying 'delegates' in from around the world and pampering them at enormous expense, apparently in the interests of the 'poverty-sticken' or 'disadvantaged' peoples of the South. Many of these events are just talking shops that for various reasons do not lead to much concrete development for the people they claim to be acting in the interests of. Some organisations have a very specific side-agenda such as faith-based organisations. Conversely, some smaller organisations both in the North and the South seem to exist only to serve the interests of personal advancement of an individual or individuals.

This is not to cast aspersions on the entire industry, for an industry is what it is. Most people working in development passionately believe they are working for a just cause. Indeed, in the present phase of development initiatives, more and more emphasis is being placed on building local capacity so that the people for whom development initiatives are intended can participate and actually navigate towards their own goals. This must be the way forward. This short note then, is just to sound a warning bell to the potential use and abuse of that vague and much abused term, 'development'.

Pan-African initiatives and institutions