Foreign Aids: A Colonial Tool to Exploit the Immense Economy Africa

News:

Kenya’s Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has criticized African leaders who have been complaining after US President Donald Trump withdrew health aid to Africa. On his inauguration day, the US President signed executive orders, including a spending. The freeze included current foreign assistance programs as well, including the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Also affected was USAID, which would hamper global efforts to combat tuberculosis (TB). This aid primarily goes to African countries, who responded by urging the American administration to reconsider.

Comment:

The monster of borrowing and foreign aids has plunged the so-called third world countries into dwindling economy as Africa’s debt 2025 is projected to be $ 1.15 trillion. The level of external debt has been growing rapidly forcing the continent to prioritize debt repayments over crucial investments in healthcare, education as well as infrastructure.

Capitalists laid down the core foundations and institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to control over the other economies of the world. The imposition of strict conditions by the lenders require debtors to restructure their economies in line with neoliberal policy by cutting subsidies and price controls; privatising public utilities; allowing foreign corporations to buy up public assets, bid on government contracts and repatriate profits at will. This means Africa's immense economic potential is being undermined and exploited by the resource-backed loans that complicate debt resolution and compromise countries' future growth.

As for African nations being affected by the US decision to cut aid to the AIDS pandemic, we are compelled to unpack: the US is the one who should be held accountable for the spread of this pandemic. Under the cloak of personal freedom, fornication and adultery are among the evil actions that are promoted by the West. Hence, you cannot claim to be providing aid and drugs to fight AIDS while encouraging people to pursue personal desires! Moreover, the US is not shocked by the deaths because it itself has a history of conducting and sponsoring deadly military operations in Islamic countries leading loss of thousands of innocent lives across the globe. People are not only perishing due to the HIV virus itself, but from the accumulation of distress that comes with the pandemic’s hardships, both economic and psychological.

Africa and the world at large require an Islamic economic system that does not allow riba as its economic basis. Islamic Economic System looks the use resources in the public interests. This system can only be implemented by the Khilafah - an independent state that both of its domestic and foreign policies are free from foreign influence. Indeed it is the Khilafah State that will liberate the whole world from shackles of neo-liberal economy and protect mankind from the economic enslavement by the greedy capitalists.

Written for The Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Shabani Mwalimu
Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in Kenya