Is aid channelled through African governments a waste of money?
NO:
The role of aid is to help the poor and vulnerable and to strengthen the forces of change within a country, be they farmers, youth, refugees, media - or government. The truth is that in many countries, governments are failing miserably in their duty of protecting citizens and providing the framework in which people can thrive.
In the years that I worked in Pakistan and Chad - countries suffering under some of the most corrupt and ineffective regimes around - I have witnessed government inability, disinterest and oppression. I have experienced the suffering brought on by lawlessness and exploitation, and I have seen people shot by government-sponsored militia, simply for disagreeing with the regime. But I have also seen the immense good that can come from the actions of well-designed government policies. In the majority of developing countries, governments are trying their best to play a positive role, often against impossible odds.
Critics of government-to-government aid point at the failings, and propose to bypass government altogether, in the hope that the injustice and corruption will magically disappear. In reality, however, withdrawing aid from dislikeable regimes serves no one. It leaves the poor to suffer, and does nothing to eradicate bribery, injustice and oppression. Surely we cannot tell a schoolgirl that her school will close because we don't like her president? Should we tell a refugee that his food aid is cancelled because we think his government is crooked? The challenge is to fight injustice - not run away from it.
Cutting aid and isolating governments increases the scope for graft and exploitation.If no one is watching, corrupt leaders can continue their kickbacks and oppressive regimes can continue to eliminate opposition figures. Aid donors must bring about change. They must engage governments, even unsavoury ones, in a process of accountability and reform and actively support the people outside government who keep an eye on them. Aid must support what Transparency International calls the "pillars of integrity": informed citizens, a strong judiciary, independent media and watchdog agencies and - crucially - international co-operation.
Irish charities and their overseas partners can play a critical role. The tireless efforts of missionary organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have saved countless lives and they have had widespread success in strengthening African civil society groups. But they cannot - and should not - hope to do the job of government. NGOs can build schools or train teachers, but governments must determine curricula and education priorities. Charities can provide food aid and agricultural support, but governments must regulate markets. Aid workers can provide loans to micro-businesses, but governments set the legal framework.
As we can see from so-called failed states such as Afghanistan and Somalia, without government people can survive, but there will be no development. Aid agencies can provide temporary relief, but to bring about lasting change, government needs to be on board.
Researchers - from the World Bank and Transparency International to people like Wolfgang Kasper, Joseph Stiglitz or Amartya Sen - have shown time and again that cutting aid to oppressive regimes does not reduce injustice or oppression. Yet there is ample proof that working through government does deliver vital services for people in poverty. When the Tanzanian government got international assistance to abolish school fees in 2001, the number of children enrolled in primary schools rose from 4.4 million to 7.5 million in 2005. The figures in Uganda are similar. According to the UN, public spending on education in sub-Saharan Africa continues to grow, and enrolment levels in primary schools are up by 36 per cent. There is simply no way that NGOs could have achieved this type of impact - only governments can operate at this scale.
There are no blank cheques and no one gives aid unconditionally. Stringent processes are followed in planning how aid money will be best invested and how it will be accounted for. Similarly, it is untrue to suggest that government is the main source of corruption. In fact, businesses are the principal payers of backhanders, shelling out bribes to win contracts or licences. The biggest bribe-paying businesses are western, not African. And as long as Ireland has not ratified the UN Convention Against Corruption, we cannot be sure that some of them aren't Irish.
It would be convenient to write off all African governments, and present NGOs as the only safe way to deliver aid.
In reality, if we want to bring about lasting improvements for the poor, we need to strengthen governments, and those who keep an eye on them. And that is exactly what aid from Ireland is doing.
• Hans Zomer is director of Dóchas, the umbrella organisation of Irish development non-governmental organisations
