Make sure aid gets to those who need it

IT is imperative that our next government includes overseas aid in the review of public spending it must initiate upon taking office.

Every year, €700 million of taxpayers’ money is being channelled through governments in Africa that have been shown time and again to be corrupt or brutal, or both.

The outgoing government largely ignored this situation, our incoming government cannot afford to.

With so many vulnerable Irish people having to suffer severe cutbacks, most notably the blind and the carers, we must adopt a method of aid delivery that the people can have faith in.

No one could possibly trust the current government-to-government model, which has us channelling fortunes through some of the most despicable regimes imaginable.

Basic morality alone dictates that we should not be propping up corrupt and oppressive regimes. When the new government takes office, GOAL will be presenting it with our proposal for a new form of aid disbursal.

We suggest that an entrepreneurial approach be adopted, whereby the Irish Government would implement programmes directly in a small number of carefully chosen countries. Irish government representatives would work with the host governments, not through them, filling in where state capacity is restricted, and offering basic services to the population.

Recipient countries would be selected on the basis of humanitarian need, and its government’s genuine commitment to poverty reduction and the upholding of human rights.

Irish project managers with extensive practical experience in overseas development would directly implement agreed projects. The project managers would be solely responsible for every aspect of funding.

The cheque book would be kept firmly in the hands of the Irish government, and stringent methods of accounting would be applied throughout.

It is time to ensure that our aid is delivered to the people for whom it is intended.

John O’Shea

GOAL

Co Dublin