Will the real Africa stand up? A response to the USAID fund freeze

 

The Us of A has sneezed and the whole world has predictably caught the cold. The only way this might have bypassed you is if you don’t live in this world or you are super preoccupied with important stuff that you have no time for small talk like the rest of us. The flu that is wreaking havoc across the world comes in the garb of the USAID fund freeze. President DJT through the DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) if you still haven’t caught on has just come to the realization that the USAID has been bleeding dollars with little to show for it. I cannot completely agree with this statement. There are many organizations that have used USAID funds to make a big difference in the communities they serve. What I agree with is that there are people and organizations that have also used the same funds to do some not so helpful things around the world. Those people have defeated the purpose of the funds and necessitated a fresh look at it. This one decision has sent the development world into pandemonium.

The Cause

President DJT campaigned on the America First platform. He is of the opinion that the rest of the world has been ripping off America and getting away with it for so long. This is not entirely true because America has also received a lot from around the world. What is true is that the relationship has been abused by some not so clever individuals leading to undesirable outcomes stemming from the use of these funds. A deep look at the spending patterns by DOGE has identified the USAID as one of the agencies that needed to be repurposed quickly. Whether it continues to operate after the freeze is not clear at this moment.

The Effect

I do not know the extent of the effect globally but I can tell you that in Kenya a lot has changed courtesy of this one decision. Primarily, people have lost livelihoods overnight. There are many who have been serving in various organizations courtesy of USAID funds. Those people are in a terrible place as far as their livelihoods are concerned. Breadwinners have just lost their ability to bake bread with the stroke of a pen. Estimations have put the number at over 35000 Kenyans. You have no idea what this means in the developing world. I do not want to get started with the black tax conversation but let it suffice you to know that this income loss has affected more than the nuclear family of the employees.

Programs in many sectors have suffered a big blow. One of the worst hit sectors is the health sector where these funds have been critical in providing comprehensive care for those dealing with HIV and many other significant interventions.

In terms of financial inflows-it is estimated that the freeze has lost Kenyans about 85Billion Shillings a year. Pulling out such funding will create a shock in the economy no doubt. The spending power of some people has been cut off completely. The ripple effect on industries that have depended on these funds will be huge. We are talking hospitality and leisure here.

Courtesy of the freezing of funds, a lot has come to light. It is now clear that many governments in the developing world have left the management of crucial sectors at the mercy of donor funds. When your health, education, sanitation and such other needs are at the mercy of donors, you should look in the mirror and ask hard questions about whether you still qualify to be a government. We have also come to learn that some people have used USAID funds to push foreign ideologies in their host countries. There are reports about organizations that have been pushing LGBTQ ideology in conservative countries. This is an unfortunate use of critical resources that would make a difference on other things that really matter.

The reaction.

People in different quarters have looked at this new development through different lenses. Governments are feeling exposed because the carpet has been pulled from right under their feet. You can hear them shouting at the top of their lungs about why this is a bad idea. Those vulnerable members of the communities which were receiving help through these programs are pleading for mercy from DJT asking him to reconsider the decision. I feel strongly for them because they are caught up in a game of chess they know nothing about. We have a Swahili saying for it-fahali wawili wakipigana nyasi huumia loosely translated it means when two bulls are having a go at each other, the only thing that suffers is the grass beneath their feet. This is what those vulnerable members are going through now. We also have the local staff working within the said programs. For them, there is a loss of livelihoods. This is also something to empathize with. Most of them have been caught unawares with no idea how to proceed from here.

Many of these people are in a state of shock as we speak. It becomes important to navigate them through the stages of grief until they can pick up their lives and move on. The truth is that we are going to see a rise in issues of mental health as people try to navigate this complex web. What should our response be? It depends on where we stand. We could be observers, beneficiaries, employees or the government. I will attempt to speak about what our responses should be in each of these cases.

Observers

You occupy a unique position. You have the greatest ability to see things from a balanced, rational perspective. You can filter through the noise and offer practical help.

I know there is a temptation to castigate the government, employees and beneficiaries of the fund at this point. Let me say, this will not help at all. It will only aggravate the situation.

The best gift you can give them at this point is support and affirmation. This is the time to tell them that they are capable of coming out of this situation. It is the time to call out the greatness in them. It is time to tell them that they have what it takes to turn around the situation. This applies especially to the employees and beneficiaries of the various programs.

It is also good to point them away from and towards God. No matter how good a person is, they will never replace God in your life. They have limits they can take and distances they can cover after which they wear out. America is just tired of carrying the burdens of other nations in this day and age. I guess it is Ron Paul who said that foreign aid is an arrangement where money is taken from the poor people of a rich country and handed over to the rich people of a poor nation. This is a hard hitting truth we might not want to acknowledge.

Your government needs to be called out albeit respectfully. You have to find out why they are super dependent on foreign aid to run matters that should be basic for the government. More often than not, the countries that need too much help are suffering from a more serious pandemic in the form of government sanctioned corruption and abuse of office. Those are situations that demand hard questions and commitments to change.

Organizing protests against the US government is barking up the wrong tree. They are not responsible for the social burden of your country. They have their own issues to deal with. The rage needs to be directed towards our own local administrations.

You must also be ready to point out again respectfully the fact that certain NGO’s have nothing to show for the many years of work and dollars spent in certain communities. They have lived up to the mantra of nothing going on. We have heard stories about statistics being exaggerated to justify the flow of funds-Kibera anyone??? Such organizations are taking away money from people who genuinely need it for their own benefit with little happening on the ground. As an observer, you have a responsibility to call this out.

Beneficiaries

We are talking about the people on the ground who benefit from the various programs. What should the response be?

You need to drop the entitlement mentality which tells you that people owe you anything. Just because you have been supported for many years shouldn’t make you turn around and think it is my right. I know how hard it is to take this in and I truly empathize with you but I have to say that gratitude is what should be flowing from your lips. You should be grateful for the far the US has carried you. It is not their responsibility.

Your anger and confusion are justifiable but if you stay there, no help will come your way. The question you must start asking is-how can I start doing for myself, that which I have constantly depended on others to do for me? You have to drop that victim mentality and start seeing yourself as capable of handling this latest challenge. If you summon it, there is greatness within you. Decide today that you will take steps to solve the problems you have to without referring to others. Own your challenge and do what it takes to surmount it. Start where you are, with what you have, right now.

If you must direct your anger somewhere, direct it to your government not the US government. Let your anger be known at the ballot box. Let it be known on the platforms social or otherwise available to you. Demand for more from your leaders at both the local and national level. Be a voice for good governance, against corruption and abuse of office. Do not resign to the fate of helplessness. You are better than that.

Look at this as a wakeup call to take charge of your destiny. The fact that you are here means there is more to you than being a dependant. There are others in a situation similar to you or maybe worse who have actually moved on from dependency to being dependable. If they can, so can you. If they have, so will you. Rise up to the challenge and become who you are meant to be.

Employees

Kudos to you if you have been working tirelessly to turn things around in the community where you are based. Thank you for the good work and sacrifice you have made. You will turn out just fine if you have been a great person serving your community. You should only worry if you have been a leech reaping where you have not sown. If that be the case, brace yourself for an awakening. The good news is you have what it takes to be great from now going forward.

I know you may be having feelings of guilt asking yourself whether you made the right spending decisions when the money was flowing in. Well that is water under the bridge. The only thing you should do is learn your lessons and do better going forward. If you are good at what you do, another opportunity will come your way. When it does make sure you spend better on the things that will outlast your next assignment.

For some of you this might be a call towards your destiny. Sometimes the devil uses money to bribe you into forgetting what makes your heart race. It is time to do a deep introspection and ask yourself whether this is all you were meant to be. Some of you have gifts and talents that you have never put to use. Maybe this is the hour for them to spring forth. God may have been asking you to walk away for a long time but this was your comfort zone. Things may have been shaken up so that you wake up out of your slumber and find the place of your function. Some of you have capacity to create employment for others yet you are stuck in employment.

If you were prudent enough to save up a few shillings here and there, they will give you options. Find a good financial advisor who should help you make sound choices. If you need help in this regard, let’s talk.

The one thing you shouldn’t do is panic. Things are under control and if they are not, you will soon get them under control. The wisest thing to do when you are at your lowest is to look at where you are, what you have and where you can start. Unbeknownst to us, we carry more than we care to admit. A long focused look at your life will unearth gems that you can channel towards a productive life whether you have a white collar job or not. You got to where you are courtesy of your abilities. Just because you have lost an opportunity doesn’t mean you have also lost your ability. Transfer your skills to the next assignment that needs you.

There are many things I can say but now is not the time. One thing I will conclude with is that this challenge will bring out many different results. Some will go on to build successful futures out of this setback while others will fade into oblivion. What matters is what you have on the inside of you. How will your story end? Will you be one of those who couldn’t cope with the reality or will you like a phoenix rise from the ashes and go on to conquer? I am rooting for you. Don’t let yourself down.

Governments

I acknowledge that you found these programs in place. Some of them have been running for decades. Fortunately or unfortunately, you have been chosen as the one to make the move in a different direction. To speak to the Kenyan case this is what I will say. 85B is such a small amount of money if we tighten the loopholes we have in government. Our former president spoke about the country losing 2B daily to corruption. What that means is that we have the capacity to recover close to 720B annually if we just close this one tap. The question is, do you as government have the balls to make this hard call? The funds we are crying foul about are available in our current budget. Why should we proudly say that a third of our budget is usually lost to corruption? Why does our procurement have to be at exaggerated rates.

If I was in government today, I would form the equivalent of DOGE to probe wastage and make recommendations for making things right.  This is not hard to do. The hard bit comes when we talk about implementing those recommendations. What has happened in the US in less than a month is that action has been taken on the recommendations of DOGE. The problem we have in this country is that we have good reports gathering dust in various government departments.

Any self-respecting government will look within and ask where did the rain start beating us? Donor dependent countries will start talking about looking East, finding alternative sponsors. Isn’t it shameful that over 60 years after independence we are still depending on foreign aid to run basic programs? Isn’t it shameful that the founding fathers of our nation spoke about fighting disease, poverty and ignorance yet today 60 years later we still talk about the same things in our manifestos? Don’t you have the slightest respect for your manifesto? DJT is not a perfect man. He has many issues we can talk about but one thing you cannot accuse him off is lip service. When he promises the electorate he will do something, you best believe he will. Is that too much to ask of you as leaders? When will we move on to bigger fish? For how long shall we talk about being sabotaged by the West? What have we done with our natural resources? What about our human capital? Are we saying the best we can do is to send our people to the Middle East for menial jobs?

My advice to the government of the day is decide to do what needs to be done on the matter of basic programs. Recover that money from our current resources. Make corruption and abuse of office extremely costly that no one thinks about doing it. Move on from lip service and become intentional about transforming the country. Decide that you will no longer bear the shame of passing around begging bowls to see who will be merciful. Where there is a will, there is a way.

In conclusion I see this move by the US as a blessing in disguise for the developing world. It is our opportunity to rewrite our history. If we as Africans can find a way of weaning ourselves off depending on foreign aid, our voice will be much louder on the global stage. We have a responsibility to bring out the greatness of Africa and it begins with us becoming self sufficient on the basic needs of our continent. We need to get to a place where our best and brightest want to stay around and build our continent. We must work to ensure that we are the solution to our own challenges. Homegrown solutions work best. It is time for the real Africa to stand up.