It wouldn't be right to simply blame governments in the developed world for the causes and spread of Ebola. However the inadequate management of the Ebola infection in West Africa can be traced to historical actions by the triumvirate of West African governments, governments in the developed world, and United Nations agencies. Corruption and dysfunctional federalism has created a legacy of underinvestment in healthcare and social development. Most Sub Saharan countries rely almost exclusively on foreign aid and global development projects for public health services. Most developed countries prioritise redundant technology, arms and military hardware in trade relations with African countries. Vital resources that could have been directed towards social development are thus lost on things that are ultimately under-utilised or completely useless.
If West African countries had invested in an adequate regional and primary healthcare infrastructure the spread of Ebola in regional areas might have been identified earlier and measures taken to address it. A lot of credit needs to be given to the work done in Senegal and Nigeria to stem the spread of Ebola. However, even those countries don't have a credible public health framework in place to prevent this happening in the future. The countries need comprehensive health services development plans linked to robust public health strategies.
Aid to developing countries should be made contingent on matched funding from recipient countries and the investment in permanent and long term healthcare infrastructure. The amount of aid received by West African countries is dwarfed by levels of trade with developed countries. So how come this expenditure isn't reflected in the development of social capital in the region? It's ludicrous that life expectancy in Nigeria is 50 years of age while the government boasts of a sovereign wealth fund of $1.4b.
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