Sweden ends aid to 4 African nations to boost Ukraine support

STOCKHOLM: Sweden's right-wing government said on Friday it was ending aid to four African countries and shutting three embassies in a major revamp to free up funds to help Ukraine.
Development Aid Minister Benjamin Dousa told reporters Sweden would phase out aid to Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mozambique and Liberia as well as Bolivia next year and close its embassies in Bolivia, Liberia and Zimbabwe where the main focus was development aid.
'The government plans to increase aid to Ukraine to at least 10 billion Swedish kronor ($1.06 billion)... This means that we are now focusing nearly 20 per cent of our total aid towards this specific cause', Dousa said.
Over the past 25 years, Swedish aid to the four African countries amounted to more than 50 billion kronor, he said.
Dousa insisted the change would not affect Sweden's humanitarian aid and said the decision was in line with the aid priorities of the minority government, which is backed by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats.
The Scandinavian country, which has given generous development aid since the 1970s, previously said it was ending its development aid to Iraq.
It is also aiming to link aid to its efforts to reduce immigration, boosting aid to countries near conflict zones so they can take in migrants and by requiring countries receiving aid to take back their nationals who have been convicted of crimes in Sweden.
'For far too long, Swedish aid has been too scattered. We have been like a water sprinkler and the result is that we have had insufficient oversight', Dousa said.
'In many cases, we don't even know if our support has been of any use at all'.
He said Tanzania alone had received more than 70 billion kronor in Swedish aid since 1962.
He cited a Swedish experts' report from 2016 'which concluded that Swedish aid had had only a marginally positive effect on poverty in Tanzania during a particular period'.
'During another period, the effect had even been negative and made the country poorer because there was no incentive for reform'.
He said 'several countries, not least in Africa, have for decades built up an aid addiction... which may have led these countries to not carry out as many reforms as we would have liked to see'.
Diplomats from some of the affected countries expressed quiet disappointment, noting that Sweden’s role often extended beyond financial aid to technical expertise, institution-building and civil-society support. “Sweden was one of the few donors committed to long-term development. Losing that partnership will be felt”, one African official said on condition of anonymity.
The embassy closures also mark a dramatic downsizing of Sweden’s diplomatic footprint in the Global South. Several foreign-policy analysts say fewer embassies may limit Stockholm’s ability to maintain influence in regions where geopolitical competition — especially from China and Russia — continues to intensify.
Despite the criticism, the Swedish government insists the revamp will create a more focused, results-driven aid framework aligned with national interests. “We are not reducing our commitment to global solidarity”, Dousa said. “We are ensuring that our aid is effective, accountable and aligned with Sweden’s strategic priorities”.
— AFP