Stealing Africa | The Aid Scam | The Dirty Business of ‘Helping’ Africa

Africa is rich—rich in copper, oil, gold, diamonds, and people. But its wealth flows out while its people remain in poverty.

Stealing Africa
Release date: November 28, 2012 (Finland)
Director: Christoffer Guldbrandsen
Writer: Niels Borchert Holm
Stars: Christoffer Guldbrandsen, Bernhard Elsener, Ivan Glasenberg
Country of origin: Denmark
Language: English
Also known as: Plundringen av Afrika
Filming locations: Rüschlikon, Horgen, Kanton Zürich, Switzerland
Production companies: Guldbrandsen Film, The Why Foundation

Stealing Africa explores the mechanisms that keep the continent poor long after the end of formal colonial rule—revealing how modern multinational corporations, global tax havens, and unjust trade systems continue to extract resources and wealth on a massive scale.

At the center of the story is Zambia, home to the third largest copper reserves in the world, yet a country where 60% of the population survives on less than $1 a day and 80% are unemployed. Meanwhile, in the idyllic Swiss village of Rüschlikon, local government coffers overflow thanks to one resident: Ivan Glasenberg, CEO of Glencore, a commodities giant whose Zambian copper mines generate billions—but almost no tax revenue for Zambia.

Through extensive research and access to public financial records, the documentary uncovers how multinational corporations legally avoid paying taxes through transfer pricing, offshore shell companies, and favorable tax treaties. The result? For every dollar in aid Africa receives, ten dollars quietly vanish—spirited away through financial flows that benefit corporations and wealthy nations.

Stealing Africa is not just a film about economics—it’s about power, inequality, and accountability. It lays bare the modern architecture of plunder and asks the crucial question: What does it mean to be "post-colonial" when the money still flows in the same direction?

Produced by Steps International, this documentary is part of the “Why Poverty?” series and remains a vital watch for anyone interested in global justice, development, and the real cost of globalization.

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