AFRICA'S AID DEPENDENCY CULTURE: MORE OF BENEFIT TO DONORS THAN RECIPIENTS - by Fred Akpewe
Many foreign aid programmes come with political or economic conditions that can resemble the control imposed by foreign loans. Aid sounds benevolent but when it has hidden conditions, it can trap nations in debt dependency.
Has African nations really benefitted from foreign aid programmes?
CULTIVATION OF DEPENDENCY CULTURE
The reliance of Africa on foreign aids has fostered a dependency mentality amongst policy makers who may view aid as a primary solution to developmental challenges. This perception may lead to complacency and a lack of initiative in formulating and implementing home grown solutions. Instead of fostering self sufficiency, aid dependency can result in a sense of entitlement and reduced accountability in governance.
Aid can also lead to the distortion of domestic priorities, divert attention from critical domestic issues leading to implementation of programmes that are not tailored to the country's specific context.
Over the years some African country leaders have made efforts to shun foreign aid. Muammar Gaddafi of Libya was highly critical of foreign aid , particularly from western nations. He saw it as a tool of neocolonialism used to control African nations, stifle their growth and keep them dependent. Gaddafi believed that African nations should rely on their own resources and work towards self sufficiency. He was a strong advocate of a strong African Union with its own strong African bank as a counterpoise to the Bretton woods institutions- the IMF and the World bank.
Like Gaddafi, Thomas Sankara, the murdered revolutionary leader of Burkina Faso was also critical of foreign aid, especially in the way it was structured and used to keep African nations dependent on western countries. Sankara believed that aid from western nations often kept Africa in a cycle of reliance , preventing true economic independence.
In recent times, there has been an effort to break away from the foreign aid syndrome coming from the Sahel region in Africa. In present day Burkina Faso, its current military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore, since coming into power in October 2022 has actively pursued policies aimed at reducing the nations reliance on foreign aid , emphasizing rather on self reliance and economic sovereignty.
President Traore has expressed skepticism about the efficacy of prolonged foreign aid and questioned the country's lack of development despite 63 years of French assistance. At the Russia -Africa summit in July 2023, Traore criticized the tendency of African leaders to seek external assistance, highlighting the paradox of a resource- rich continent remaining impoverished.
Nigeria is a resource rich country with an abundance of oil and gas. In spite of this humongous economic potential, Nigeria has remained essentially a poor country. The oil wealth of the country has apparently become a curse rather than a blessing. This resource curse hypothesis has damaged Nigeria's growth potential, stifled agriculture which at one time was the mainstay of the country's economy.
It is widely believed that past leaders in Nigeria had fallen into the aid trap and failed to grapple with the realities of a modern day economy which relies more on self economic determination rather than foreign aid. There has been a conspiracy theory that the United States Agency For International Development (USAID) which has for years masqueraded as an international aid agency has actually been used to systematically undermine our economy.
In Niger, its current head of the military junta, Abdourahamane Tchiani has realized that aid from France , all over the years has not done the country any good. Niger has the distinction of having the highest uranium deposit in West Africa . Niger contributes about 5% of the worlds uranium output, making it a key player in the global uranium market. Yet, exploited by France, the country remains very poor. General Abdourahamane Tchiani , the interim leader of Niger, has expressed skepticism regarding the France's involvement in the region.
Tchiani has accused France of financing terrorist organizations to destabilize Niger and the broader Sahel area. The Nigerien leader has expelled French troops and the French Ambassador from Niger. Additionally, the junta has revoked the license of the French aid organization agency for Technical Cooperation and Development ( ACTED) and distanced itself from further French aid. These measures indicate a deliberate move by General Tchiani to reduce reliance on French aid , which he perceives as insincere and counterproductive to Niger 's sovereignty and stability.
Other international aid agencies like WHO, UNICEF, BRAC, UNIDO, International Red Cross etc have been used to support the interests of donor agencies and nations rather than the beneficiaries.
Recently, the current President of the United States, Donald Trump, shocked the world when he announced that he was disengaging his country from substantial foreign aid programmes, arguing that some of these aid agencies were used for covert operations that do not even benefit the recipients of these aids.
The massive aids cut by the Trump administration to Africa and the rest of the world is a wake up call to Africa to begin to look inwards in solving their problems. It is beginning to dawn on critical minds that humanitarian assistance to Africa and other aids in education, agriculture, security services, health etc have not taken Africa anywhere. Instead it has exacerbated the problems of Africa and stifled its growth. No single African country has thrived through aid.
As Africa begins to grapple with the realities on ground and to understand that the solution to our problems should be home grown and not tied to some nebulous aid programme, African nations should also be prepared to elect leaders that are patriotic, revolutionary and selfless .
Africa cannot survive if its people cannot elect leaders that lead by example and take the social contract between government and its people seriously.
Indeed Africa has come of age and this is the time to unbundle Africa of all the shackles of neocolonialism and shady aid programmes that have held Africa prostrate for years.
Fred Akpewe
Senior Media Analyst
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