The poverty in parts of Africa is there for many to see, and it is a topic that has been taught across Western schools for many a year. Bearing this in mind, one might assume that it is one of the larger beneficiaries when it comes to foreign aid. However, as it turns out, this couldn't be further from the truth. As it turns out, Asia is the largest recipient of foreign aid donations and Africa receives only a small portion. According to data released on Wristband Resources, only 6 of the top 15 countries to receive foreign aid from the Development Assistance Committee(DAC), are in Africa.
The Development Assistance Committee, made up of 30 major donors, was created to oversee and discuss issues surrounding foreign aid; specifically focusing on humanitarian aid and economic development. In 2017, foreign aid donations by the DAC were as follows:
| Country | Donation | Country | Donation | Country | Donation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $34.73 billion | Norway | $4.12 billion | Poland | $680 million |
| Germany | $25.01 billion | Switzerland | $3.14 billion | New Zealand | $450 million |
| United Kingdom | $18.10 billion | Australia | $3.04 billion | Luxembourg | $420 million |
| European Union | $16.44 billion | Spain | $2.56 billion | Portugal | $380 million |
| Japan | $11.46 billion | Denmark | $2.45 billion | Greece | $310 million |
| France | $11.33 billion | South Korea | $2.20 billion | Czech Republic | $300 million |
| Italy | $5.86 billion | Belgium | $2.20 billion | Hungary | $150 million |
| Sweden | $5.56 billion | Austria | $1.25 billion | Slovak Republic | $120 million |
| Netherlands | $4.96 billion | Finland | $1.08 billion | Slovenia | $80 million |
| Canada | 4.30 billion | Ireland | $840 million | Iceland | $70 million |
India and Turkey received the biggest shares of foreign aid from DAC members, and, in the top 10 recipients, only 2 were African countries. The top 10 recipients of foreign aid from DAC members are as follows:
1. India: $4.21 billion
2. Turkey: $4.10 billion
3. Afghanistan: $2.95 billion
4. Syria: $2.77 billion
5. Ethiopia: $1.94 billion
6. Bangladesh: $1.81 billion
7. Morocco: $1.74 billion
8. Vietnam: $1.61 billion
9. Iraq: $1.60 billion
10. Indonesia: $1.48 billion
Ethiopia received the majority of its aid from the US and Morocco received majority of its aid from Europe. The likes of Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and South Sudan are the smaller beneficiaries of foreign aid from the DAC in the 15th, 14th, 13th and 11th places respectively, with the United States as the largest donor again. However, the sums are relatively low (at least in comparison to other nations). It's worth mentioning that some of the countries receiving the highest donations, such as Afghanistan and Syria, have some obvious military history which might be fueling the donations. However, all in all, donations to African countries are on the lower side.
What does this all mean? Is foreign aid a good thing? Is it a bad thing? Should countries rely on foreign aid? Is foreign aid some sort of reparations for heinous acts such as colonialism, neocolonialism and military occupations? Is Africa being short-changed in foreign aid or is it a good thing that the content is getting less foreign aid?