The Huffington Post featured a blog by CGD senior fellow Vijaya Ramachandran and research assistant Julie Walz on South Africa's new development aid agency.
From the Article:
South Africa announced last month that it will launch its own development aid agency in 2011 - the South African Development Partnership Agency. This move places South Africa ahead of other emerging donors such as India and China , who have yet to create separate agencies to dispense aid.
No longer just a recipient of aid, South Africa has quietly ramped up its role as a leader on the African continent, largely via peacekeeping, post-conflict reconstruction, and even analytical work. South Africa's development assistance program originated in the post-apartheid era, as an attempt to improve South Africa's international image and win friends at the United Nations. In 2001, South Africa launched the African Renaissance Fund, although the majority of aid continues to be given through various government departments, notably the Departments of Defense and Education.