theGrio’s 100: Dambisa Moyo, international economist on a quest to save Africa

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Who is Dambisa Moyo?

International economist Dambisa Moyo is known for her groundbreaking work surrounding finance infrastructure in developing countries. Her book, Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa, argues that African economies rely too heavily on foreign aid. She advocates for a push to increase African foreign investments and micro-finance initiatives in local communities throughout Africa. This world-traveling finance expert previously worked at Goldman Sachs for eight years as part of the hedge fund coverage in global macroeconomics team and she currently serves on the board at Barclays Bank, SAB Miller and Barick Gold.

Why is she on theGrio’s 100?

Moyo has become the leading academic expert of global poverty alleviation, traveling to over 50 different countries just within the last year. The Zambia native, through her controversial work, has put a critical perspective on the foreign aid given to Africa and has shed light into an issue that has gone overlook in the field of global poverty alleviation. Her work has garnered international attention both in mainstream media and academia, with her making regular appearances on national television networks such as CNBC. In 2009, Dambisa was named by TIME magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World.”

What’s next for Moyo?

In her latest book, Winner Takes All, she examines how the scarcity of the world’s resources will soon greatly affect the political and economic global infrastructure. China, she argues, seems to have already won the resources race by securing resource-rich areas across the world, primarily in Africa.

“The picture painted is bleak, and shortages in the commodities markets have the potential to dramatically affect the way we live,” she writes in her book. “Only one country appears to understand the importance of controlling these crucial assets — China.”

The Oxford alumnus is currently working on a project that addresses China’s growth in resource acquisition with PBS’s Great Decisions for their segment titled “Feeding the Dragon” that will premiere in a couple of months.

Follow Dambisa Moyo on Twitter @dambisamoyo