A Twist in African Aid

Today I woke up to news that the UK has cut its aid program to Malawi on account of mismanagement and declining issues of governance. Like most Malawians, I was worried of the impending predicament of my people. It is inevitable that the poorest in society will suffer more, not because the aid money meant for developing their communities is no longer available but rather the lack of such money to finance the activities of the political elite.

Before I proceed, let me make it clear that I for one am not a proponent of aid (in this case, aid refers to the bilateral and multilateral development assistance excluding humanitarian/emergency aid). For a long time, the idea of aid as a solution to development has been over rated. While it might have worked in the reconstruction of Europe, developmental theorists fail to learn from the experiences of the Marshall Plan.

For African countries, aid has done more harm than good. It has successfully reduced the accountability of governments and has undermined self-initiative. Governments are less keen in fostering entrepreneurship but more adept at financing their own interests. In most functioning economies, the people pay taxes in return for accountability. Aid on the other hand circumvents this route making government depend less on its people and owe them nothing.

While cutting aid will definitely affect the poorest in society, the worry does not emanate from the fact that money for the construction of schools and drugs will no longer be available. Rather the poor with their meagre resources will now have to finance the activities of the political elite through paying of higher taxes and social services. Since the “free” money used for maintaining the political base mostly “ethnic groups” is no longer accessible the political career of those in power is at threat. The most vulnerable groups in society will bear this costly burden.

Although some aid has been used for construction of school blocks and maternity wards, a large proportion of it has found its way in European banks. Doing what? I equally wonder. Maybe aid wouldn’t be so bad if the African leaders reinvested the stolen money domestically like their Asian counterparts.

Thus even though aid is not an ideal method for the development of Malawi, the cry of the civil society and citizens to this predicament can only make sense through the understanding of the political system and its activities. Therefore I will join in the plea for aid from the UK government to feed the political egos and let the ordinary citizen enjoy their life free of exorbitant taxes!