The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

The UK should give enough notice to aid-reliant countries. I am not an advocate of international aid to poor countries. I also understand that international aid may foster dependency. As the UK plans to slash foreign aid to plug black hole caused by coronavirus, it should give enough notice and reasonable transition period to countries that firmly rely on the aid so that they can come up with strategies and adjust effectively to the new reality. The aid should not just be cut immediately as this may cause havoc to the recipient countries and thus sound harsh and inhumane. Cutting the budget immediately without notice or grace period will make Britain look cruel when in actual fact these countries have been helped by UK for so long. The level of appreciation will therefore be immediately eroded by immediate cut of the budget.

Even though there are some theories that international aid fosters dependency, there are genuine countries that make effective use of aid and are unfortunate in terms of resources. These countries may experience extreme poverty and persistent hunger due to geographical location, natural disasters such severe drought and floods. It should always be appreciated that foreign aid strengthens global peace, security and governance. It builds greater stability and more effective and accountable governance through addressing the underlying causes of conflict and insecurity; maintaining a sharp focus on prevention; tackling crime and corruption; and supporting transparency, capability and trust in institutions. It also promotes global prosperity, tackles extreme poverty, helps the world’s most vulnerable and supports a strong and resilient international system.

HANDSEN CHIKOWORE

UK,

September 3, 2020.