AID TO AFRICA: Does it do any good?

Wed--Kwei

Does aid to Africa do any good?

Vice-President Kamala Harris landed in Ghana on Sunday March 26 at the start of a weeklong trip to the African continent. On her trip, Harris said she wants to promote "increasing investments," the "economic empowerment" of women, girls and young businesspeople, "digital inclusion" and food security in light of mounting challenges from climate change.

But all this in the face of China’s grip on Africa. Biden’s administration wants to re-engage the mighty continent in opposition to China’s foothold, but the attempt is probably too little too late. All over the continent, the Chinese build roads, dams, railways, bore-holes for villages, and they take over African cobalt and gold mines. Their reputation for ignoring human rights is legendary. Not to put too fine a point, they really don’t care. 

Following the usual MO of visits to Africa by western leaders, VP Harris promised $100 million in "aid to the region” (primarily security against terrorism) and the Biden administration is asking for another $139 million from Congress to "help Ghana reduce child labor, improve weather forecasting, support local musicians and defend against disease outbreaks.” Wait. Did you say improve weather forecasting and support local musicians? Simply knowing Ghana, weather forecasting is not going to improve (what do you need that for anyway in a tropical country?) and local musicians are not going to be supported, but the politicians will laugh all the way to the bank.

Why does Africa even need aid?

The history of aid to African countries dates back to the colonial era, when European powers provided assistance to their colonies in the form of infrastructure, education, and health programs. After African countries gained independence in the 1960s, aid continued to flow in from the West, with a focus on development projects such as dams, roads, and other infrastructure. China has largely replaced the West in that regard. Below I’ve listed some of the “pros”of aid with a rebuttal (in italics) for each.

1. Humanitarian assistance: Foreign aid can provide essential resources and support in the face of natural disasters, conflict, or other crises. It can save lives, alleviate suffering, and help people rebuild their communities.  During epidemic outbreaks like Ebola, this was certainly important, but eradication of disease in Africa has always been tied to politics and regional security, including the WHO and MSF (Doctors Without Borders). Medical aid frequently lauds the work of American and European doctors while ignoring the efforts of local physicians.
2. Economic growth: Foreign aid can help stimulate economic growth by providing resources for infrastructure development, education, healthcare, and other key sectors. But does it really? If a western government gives an African country aid but none of it goes to local farms and manufacturing, then where is the growth? Trickle-down economics doesn’t work here either.
3. Poverty reduction: Aid can help reduce poverty by directly providing resources to the poor, supporting social safety nets, and enabling access to education and healthcare.  There’s no evidence that aid helps reduce poverty to any significant extent in Africa. In fact, doling out aid can keep the recipients nations in endless poverty. French West Africa is a good example.
4. Capacity building: Foreign aid can contribute to strengthening local institutions and building capacity in areas like governance, public health, and environmental management. How? If there’s no political will at the ground level, there’s little point in receiving financial aid.
5. Technology and knowledge transfer: Aid can facilitate the transfer of technology, expertise, and knowledge from developed countries to African countries, promoting innovation and development. Africa always pays the price when it asks for aid, whether it’s in the form of technology, expertise or anything else.

The true effects of foreign aid

1. Dependency: Dependence on foreign aid can potentially undermine the self-reliance and self-sufficiency of African countries, making them vulnerable to the whims of donor nations. Begging is what African governments do best. It’s now a conditioned response. Meanwhile, the national debt of many countries continues to burgeon. Ghana’s was about $65 billion in 2021, about 82% of its GDP.
2. Corruption and mismanagement: This is the biggest problem. It’s a fact: foreign aid is misused or misallocated all the time due to corruption or poor governance, limiting its impact on poverty reduction and development.
3. Ineffectiveness: the effectiveness of aid in promoting long-term economic growth is very questionable and I would venture to say, totally unproved. Aid can actually hinder development by distorting local markets and discouraging domestic investments.
4. Foreign aid can be used as a tool for exerting political influence, as donor countries may attach conditions to the aid they provide, potentially compromising the sovereignty of recipient countries.
5. Lack of local ownership: In some cases, foreign aid projects may be designed and implemented without adequately considering local needs, priorities, and cultural context, which can lead to unsustainable or inappropriate interventions. It’s not uncommon when you visit a country like Ghana to see projects that are unfinished because a new government is in power.       

Bottom line

The effectiveness and impact of foreign aid in Africa depend on factors like the type of aid, the intentions of the donors, the quality of governance in recipient countries, and the specific context in which aid is provided. But like Moyo Dambisa, as well-intentioned as it may appear, much of aid is a bad idea. And I still can’t get over the improving weather forecasting.

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