Nothing wrong with partial dependency on aid

Ours is an interdependent world. There is no country on earth that can claim that it is totally dependent on itself . Even the most reclusive and secretive state in the world- North Korea – depends on food and fuel aid from the Peoples Republic of China.

President Peter Mutharika meet UNIAIDS top officials at Kamuzu Palace on Monday (C) Stanley Makuti
President Peter Mutharika meet UNIAIDS top officials at Kamuzu Palace on Monday (C) Stanley Makuti

Indeed the existence of the United Nations to which almost every country in the world belongs is testimony that all countries in the world depend on each other.

What differs from country to country is the form and degree or extent of dependency. While rich and industrialised countries largely depend on exports developing countries such as Malawi partially depend on financial aid to pay for development programmes.

As one of the least developed countries in the world it is not surprising that Malawi still heavily depends on aid to finance some important developmental programmes. For example recently government announced that Malawi has secured about 600 hundred million US Dollars for its HIV and Aids programme.

Although budgetary aid has from time to time been suspended due to bad political and economic governance it is important  to point out that donors continue to give Malawi off budget support.

In view of the forgoing there is nothing wrong with Malawi’s partial dependence on aid. In my view the debate should be on how best Malawi should be using aid to ensure that in the long term Malawi can start depending on exports-that is trade.

In particular we Malawians need to address and tackle problems that have forced donors from time to time to stop or suspend budgetary support.

Some Malawians are quite aware that donors have been forced to stop or suspend  budgetary aid during the Kamuzu Banda MCP, Bakili Muluzi UDF, Bingu wa Mutharika DPP and Joyce Banda PP regimes.

Donors are yet to resume budgetary aid under the Peter Mutharika DPP government 20 months after the general elections in May 2014.

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Concerned Citizen
Concerned Citizen
8 years ago

Total rubbish. You must be self reliant.

At an individual level, what do you say about a fully Grown, married man with a family, who relies on begging to support his family? If you say this is fine, then I have a major problem with you. You should get your head tested.

Penapake
Penapake
8 years ago

There is need to have an Inedependent Prosecution Agency to handle issues of theft, fraud and misappropriation in the public sector as this would give donors confidence in the way criminal cases are handled and not by the Attorney General’s Chambers as the case is at present.

southern offender
8 years ago

table IT B First.and this government is not trust worthy for bilateral donor to resume aid.mr presidend is also envolved with cash gate during his brother regime

The Analyst
The Analyst
8 years ago

O……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..O You donors have not even an aorta of sincerity, in word and deed. Lend me your ears, as I tell you how. When you continue to withhold aid, whom do you think you are hurting or punishing? If you cared to look around, you would realise that the people you misguidedly suppose you are punishing, don’t really care coz they live in their own world – of jamborees and a lot of merry-making, with or without your aid; while the common man wears a sombre face, an insalubrious body and sleeps on and forcefully listens to whistling songs of… Read more »

Gama
Gama
8 years ago

What’s the point of this article really? That we must tackle problems that have made donors to close aid taps? This is a wrong mentality because it implies doing good things only because of the fear of donors. Government should first and foremost do things that Malawians demand! We demand fiscal prudence. We demand transparency and seriousness in tackling corruption. We demand a stop on extravagant spending. We demand that all assets of convicted cash gaters be seized by the state. We demand a stop on luxury vehicles and a reduction on number of presidential advisers. We demand more strategic… Read more »

John
John
8 years ago

You should not rely on aid. It makes you a nation of beggars. You need to gain self-respect before you can gain respect from others. Being dependent upon others is undignified. Cut out all the waste on religion and corruption – and your country will blossom. I worked with Malawians on the Zambian copper belt in the 1970s. They were some of the smartest Africans I ever met, presumably because they had to be. A country with few natural resources must develop its human resources potential. Train and educate your young people and then send them overseas to work and… Read more »

James Tsamwa
James Tsamwa
8 years ago

Total rubbish. North Korea is on its knees because of massive sanctions. You mention of trade, that’s not aid. Malawi has been I dependent for sometime now to still rely on other countries tax money for its survival. We’ve got everything at our disposal to make progress economically but have all along got our priorities wrong. PATHETIC.

mphatso
mphatso
8 years ago

APM we are tired of kwacha fall. We voted for DPP becuase of its ability to offer stable and strong exchange rates, but nsopano alomost 100% depreciation. This is too much you need to act now and save the poor

Kaziulika Chimugonda
Kaziulika Chimugonda
8 years ago

Maloto achumba kuganiza kuti donors will come back to support the budget as long as DPP thieves are in power. Aid is not bad as you have rightly said, but for how long? thats the quedtion.

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