Sir, Jeremiah Norris's critique of aid (Letters, March 7) is based on the tired and defeatist idea that there is no way to achieve good aid results. Rather than caricaturing the past as does Mr Norris, knowledgeable people look to recent successes and future opportunities: malaria control, polio elimination, an African Green Revolution, internet connectivity, uses of solar and geothermal power, and investments in infrastructure to promote private business, just to name a few of the areas that can be effectively supported with proven means.

The Canadian Senate recommended that the Canadian International Development Agency be renovated to focus its efforts on ground- level assistance that works, with practical suggestions such as ensuring that Canada's aid "includes significant investment in inexpensive insecticide-treated mosquito nets". If the Group of Eight keeps its commitments, well targeted ground-level aid can save millions of lives each year and help Africa to escape from the trap of extreme poverty.

Jeffrey Sachs,

Director,

Earth Institute,

Columbia University,

New York, NY 10027, US