OTTAWA - The former head of Canada's aid effort in Afghanistan says the recent Manley commission report missed the point of development efforts in the war-torn country.
Nipa Banerjee, who spent three years heading the Canadian International Development Agency's mission in Kabul, says the commission's recommended approach won't do much to add legitimacy to the government of President Hamid Karzai.
The blue-ribbon commission recommended that Canada refocus its $1.2-billion aid-and-development effort on projects that address the immediate needs of Afghans, particularly in Kandahar.
The approach thus far has been to spend money on long-term, institution-building programs and to funnel the support through the government in Kabul.
Banerjee says the idea of a signature project, such as building a hospital, won't work because security is still precarious in the area.
She was speaking on Parliament Hill on behalf of a group of young Canadians who've started a grassroots to campaign to drum up support for the mission.
