Development Bank's 20th anniversary book, African Development Bank : 1964–1984, until his declining health forced him into retirement. Gardiner died early in the morning on 13 April 1994 in Accra, Ghana, survived by his wife and children. Beliefs and personality In comparison to his Ghanaian contemporaries, Gardiner was a conservative. He believed that political and economic issues of transformation could be separated and strongly supported a capitalist model of development. He thought increased productivity and higher wages would boost Ghana's economy, and believed that the persistence of a trade deficit would contribute to inflation and national financial difficulties. He expressed that improved transport and communication systems and rural education and health services as well as land redistribution, participation in global trade, and expanded job opportunity would contribute to development in Africa. Gardiner also thought that African aid models were too reliant on foreign assistance and that such assistance should only be used to augment local development efforts. He advocated for the normalisation of relations between African states and the white minority government of South Africa, believing the former could benefit from the economic strength of the latter. Evaluations of Gardiner generally perceive him to be politically moderate and primarily an international civil servant, rather than a political figure. His successor at the UNECA Secretariat, Adebayo Adedeji, felt he lacked a creative outlook, saying of him, "Robert Gardiner was a conservative economist who didn't see anything wrong with the extant development paradigm." Gardiner was quiet and reserved in nature. His two favorite sayings were "complacency breeds arrogance" and "one's job can never be finished". He enjoyed walking, golfing, reading, and listening to music. Honours Gardiner was awarded nine honorary degrees from universities in the United States, United Kingdom, and Ghana over the course of his life. Donald Robinson included him in his 1970 book, The 100 Most Important People in the World Today. At the opening session of the International Conference for the Study of the Problem of Developing Countries in 1975 he was awarded a gold medal by Italian President Giovanni Leone in recognition for his contributions to Africa. In March 1978 Gardiner was inducted into the Order of the Volta with companion insignia for his service as Commissioner for Economic Planning. A collection of essays published in 1990 was dedicated to him. In 2000 Annan stated that Gardiner was one of "[Ghana's] great figures of the past". Notes Citations