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.
On February 11, a statement from the Presidency expressed Mahama’s deep concern regarding an estimated $156 million deficit. This shortfall poses a serious threat to critical health and social intervention programs. Of particular urgency is a $78.2 million gap, which jeopardizes essential services such as malaria prevention, maternal and child healthcare, family planning, reproductive health, and nutrition. Additionally, this funding shortage undermines Ghana’s efforts to combat HIV/AIDS by limiting 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 about the immediate effects of the funding cuts, especially in areas where USAID is responsible for providing essential goods and medications. “I am certain the impact is already being felt, particularly in places where USAID supplies specific commodities and medications,” he noted. Professor Asuming also highlighted the missed opportunity during the COVID-19 pandemic to learn this important 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.
By: Abigail Arthur
