Financing Post-Conflict Recovery in Africa: The Role of International Development Assistance †

This paper attempts to identify the key challenges of financing countries in post-conflict transition. Such countries constitute a critical development challenge given their enormous socio-economic needs and the difficulties associated with providing effective development assistance. Conflict destroys a country's economic, governance and administrative institutions; weakens public financial management systems and increases transaction costs, which makes it difficult for principals to monitor their agents. Rebuilding social and economic infrastructure is as crucial as the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the destroyed physical infrastructure--roads, bridges, restoration of water supply and sanitation and energy and power. A framework is elaborated here for assessing (i) Post-conflict situations in African countries; (ii) possible mechanism of financing post-conflict reconstruction and development in Africa; and, (iii) lessons from the past challenges of financing countries in post-conflict transition in Africa. The paper concludes that post-conflict financing in Africa needs to be done in the appropriate context and framework to enhance impact and effectiveness. They should be accompanied by the appropriate policy framework and guidance, and should be conceived within the context of the country's long-term development objectives. Copyright The author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Centre for the Study of African Economies. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org, Oxford University Press.