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.

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.