Donors suspend funding to Zambia in response to corruption reports
The Swedish and Dutch governments announced today that they will suspend $33 million in aid to Zambia following reports about embezzlement in the Ministry of Health. Reports indicate the civil society was calling for the Ministry of Health to publish expenditures, but former President Mwanawasa cancelled the spending reports, which may have led some officials to siphon funds for their own use. In response to concerns that the lack of funding will affect the delivery of health services, the Minister of Finance Musokotwane stated that the Zambian government will develop a plan to fill the gap and investigate the corruption charges.
The transparent publication of spending by donors and governments is a critical component of ensuring money for development is used as effectively as possible. Like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria, the Swedish and Dutch governments’ response to reports of embezzlement in the health sector suggests their support for the idea that well-governed programs are critical to successful development and that aid can help to encourage transparency and accountability.
-Lisa Fleisher
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May 29, 2009 at 8:18 pm
Wow – how timely is this information! Thanks for posting it, Lisa.
Once again, what this shows is NOT the ineffectiveness of foreign assistance but the effectiveness of current foreign assistance mechanisms.
When the inefficiency of any African government receiving foreign aid is discovered, donor governments are temporarily pulling out that aid until that African government puts in place a more transparent mechanism to show how it is using foreign assistance money.
This is “smart aid” targeted to produce tangible results for Africa’s People.
The fact that this is happening in Zambia – a country that we are hearing a lot about lately in the ONE Blog -
is ripe with comments that I could make but will restrain myself from making for diplomacy’s sake. ~
ALWAYS FOREVER, ONE – debbie
http://www.myspace.com/mulago
May 30, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Good to hear. Not because people will suffer, but because Pres. Banda now has an opportunity to clean the corruption out and further take the reins for Zambia’s healthcare out of the hands of foreigners.
May 30, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Hi there, I just started a debate on my site pertaining to this issue check it out at http://www.squidoo.com/worldhunger if you’d like!
Best
john
May 31, 2009 at 5:27 pm
The article cited above talks about the probable embezzelment of millions of foreign assistance dollars which were geared to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS & malaria in Zambia by SENIOR HEALTH MINISTRY OFFICIALS in Zambia.
This infers that it was not “foreigners” who interfered with much needed HIV/AIDS and malaria treatment & prevention efforts from reaching the people of Zambia, but those in Pres. Banda’s own administration!
Thus, I think that it would be disingenuous for anyone to attempt to say that Pres. Banda needs to take “the reins for Zambia’s healthcare out of the hands of foreigners” when the article clearly states that it was Zambian officials in his own government who are evidently responsible for this abuse of power!
It is NOT the foreign assistance money which is the problem here but the corruption of power by these Zambian Health Ministry officials.
AS ONE, debbie
June 1, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Debbie, you should visit Zambia one time and you’ll know exactly what I mean.