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Development Aid

“Izandla ziyagezana” - “Hands Wash Each Other”

“ For example, in 2016 Britain's Secretary of State for International Development at the
time (Priti Patel) declared that 'British aid is being wasted and stolen' in the pages of the

Daily Mail.
Despite the lack of evidence to substantiate such claims, strident rhetoric and simplistic
success stories encourage aid agencies to choose quick, technical fixes over support for

long-term transformation.
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Foreign aid is not a good investment: the risks are generally high and the dividends far too
uncertain. No wonder many people in donor countries think it's a waste of money. At the

same time, aid is exactly the right kind of investment to make when it is patient, hands-off
and sensitively applied. It can play a crucial role in development by supporting reformers

who choose to pursue the greater good against sometimes insurmountable odds.”
"Foreign aid is a waste of money-unless it's used for transformation" 453
OpenDemocracy (March 2018)

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The Future of Aid

“ Each publication takes a different tack, but they all present how the approach to
development is, or should be, advancing.
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A striking feature that is already disrupting the development landscape is the expansion

in the number and diversity of development actors. This was a prime finding in the "Global
Development Disrupted" survey, with respondents noting that middle-income countries
are increasingly taking control of their own development; the expansion of donor

governments to China, the other BRIC countries, and Middle Eastern countries; growth in
number of foundations and high-wealth philanthropists; and the entry of corporations into

the development arena.
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The number one response to the "Global Development Disrupted" survey was on funding.
No one is happy with the dominant model of short-term projects and siloed funding.

Respondents are concerned that donor funding is stagnating and the uncertainty of
whether funding will continue to be available for development organizations.

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He (Raj Kumar) specifically calls on government donors to innovate their finance

mechanisms by moving procurement more to a "market based on results."
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