Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, has recently spoken out against the slowness of aid and debt relief to Africa. Following a recent visit to Burundi, Dr Williams complained that the strict conditions imposed on aid and debt relief was preventing African countries from breaking out from the poverty cycle.

He stressed that too much of the debate on African Aid was concerned with generalisations and not enough attention to addressing the grass roots of poverty.

He condemned what he described was a ‘catch 22 situation’ whereby investment was only given when a country was confirmed as stable. Questioning the slowness of political negotiations such as G8, he argued that development would only occur by "equipping millions of individuals at countless different levels".

The archbishop continued "Our thinking about the need for democracy and accountability before aid or investment is fine in the abstract. In practice, in places like Burundi, holding back until all possible conditions are met may simply intensify the risks." He described how his experience in Burundi demonstrated that "on the ground there is little time to sort out those arguments."

Writing in the Independent on Sunday, Dr Williams praised the work of local Christian and faith-based organisations, such as the Mother’s Union. He exhorted the donor community to look harder at the work they do in "opening up real and practical advances."

Though conceding that faith-based agencies had been guilty of failures in Africa, he re-emphasised that religious agencies still have widespread credibility and should continue to reach out to parts of Africa that other agencies still miss out on.