Professor Patrick Asuming, an economist and lecturer at the University of Ghana, has emphasised the need for Ghana to rethink its dependence on foreign aid following the recent cuts by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) programme.
This follows President John Dramani Mahama’s directive to Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson to take urgent steps to address the funding gap created by the suspension of the USAID programme.
A February 11 statement from the Presidency highlighted Mahama’s deep concern over the estimated $156 million deficit, warning of its potential impact on critical health and social intervention programmes. Of particular urgency is a $78.2 million shortfall, which threatens essential services such as malaria prevention, maternal and child healthcare, family planning, reproductive health, and nutrition.
The funding gap also jeopardises Ghana’s fight against HIV/AIDS by restricting access to antiretroviral drugs, testing, and preventive measures.
Speaking on the matter in an interview on Eyewitness News on Tuesday, February 11, Prof Asuming highlighted the broader implications of such actions and called for a long-term strategic approach to reduce the country’s reliance on external assistance.
“I think the bigger conversation or the bigger picture is how we should interpret actions like this in the longer term because when people are giving us aid, yes we are receiving, but aid always is strategic. It is in the strategic interest of the receiver. That is why they give the aid. So if you build a country where you are extremely dependent on aid, we should know that, like has happened, somebody can suddenly wake up one day and say the aid is not coming. Exactly what has happened,” Prof. Asuming stated.
He expressed concern over the immediate impact of the funding cuts, particularly in areas where USAID is responsible for providing essential commodities and medications.
“I am sure the impact is already being felt, especially in the places where USAID is responsible for providing specific commodities and medications and other things,” he noted.
Prof Asuming pointed to the missed opportunity during the COVID-19 pandemic to learn this lesson.
“You recall that during the COVID, at the time that the vaccines started flowing, the countries that had the vaccines decided to halt them and decided that until they are done satisfying themselves, they are not going to release the vaccines even including some developing countries. That should have told us that there are some things that we cannot depend on others to finance,” he explained.
He stressed the importance of identifying critical commodities funded by donors and developing strategies to reduce dependence on foreign aid.
“There are critical commodities that are funded by donors, and I think that going forward, we need to begin to think about what we have to do and what we have to depend on foreign aid for,” he added.
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