Kagame: Foreign aid breeds dependency and is weaponized

Paul Kagame, the president, reaffirmed that aid to poor nations has been weaponized and utilized to establish dependency and exert control.

During his visit to Rwanda last week, he spoke with Mario Nawfal, an American blogger and host of one of the biggest social media shows, about the DR Congo crisis and the disadvantages of foreign help for developing nations.

Although Rwanda values aid and still need it to a certain degree, Kagame stated that it has been customary to utilize it to develop the nation’s capacity to wean itself off of it.

Aid breeds reliance. “Your life is controlled by whoever provides you with assistance,” Kagame stated.

“In actuality, they want you to be on help so they can maintain control over your life. They employ it as a tool to guide you in the direction they desire. They repeatedly threaten to turn it off if you don’t comply. It is weaponized [politically].

By emphasizing domestic solutions, increasing funding for domestic resources, and luring investment, Rwanda has implemented conscious efforts over the past few decades to progressively reduce reliance on foreign help utilized in the nation’s development projects.

According to Kagame, aid can be a liability to a nation, depending on how it is handled. He pointed out that Rwanda’s long-term goal of removing itself from aid has drawn criticism.

We can demonstrate our need for it, but we also figure out how to avoid it. However, that has caused us a lot of issues. We have been called terms like dictatorial, insensitive, and conceited.

However, he pointed out that Rwanda is not just opposed to development assistance.

“We are arguing that aid breeds reliance, not that we don’t want it for the sake of not wanting it. Furthermore, he added, “Whoever gives you aid controls your life. Dependency is not just a bad thing, but it can also be a good thing.”

The charges of Rwanda’s involvement in the DR Congo crisis, which pits government forces against AFC/M23 rebels, have prompted Western nations to impose sanctions on the country, including blocking aid and development collaborations.

Kigali has often stated that halting financial aid will not address the governance shortcomings of the Democratic Republic of the Congo or significantly improve the lives of the millions of people caught in the crossfire.