Reduced aid and increased poverty: "A development heading in the wrong direction"

The African groups is one of several civil society organizations in Sweden that have been affected by the cuts in aid. The solidarity organization has for almost 50 years worked with development in southern Africa, and together with the liberation movements in the region, was an important driving force in the fight against Apartheid in South Africa.

How are the African groups affected by the restructuring in aid?

- All important meeting places, where we were able to reach out to new target groups and people, such as the book fair in Gothenburg and the Almedal Week, are now largely without funding. It becomes more difficult to find new ways to reach out, says Louise Lindfors, Secretary General of the Africa Groups.

Several organizations have directed criticism at the government for the cuts, but also for the government's lack of dialogue with civil society. In January of this year, the minister for aid invited over 70 civil society organizations to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. the purpose with the turnout was to discuss Swedish aid and development cooperation. Louise Lindfors was present during the conversation, and she is critical of the fact that there was no proper opportunity to ask the minister questions.

- It was a very well-directed meeting where none of us participants from civil society had the opportunity to speak. I did not feel that we were given the opportunity to participate actively or provide input, she says.

The message from the Aid Minister Johan Forssell (M) is to prioritize humanitarian aid and to promote trade, business and entrepreneurship. Instead, Louise Lindfors highlights the importance of development aid.

How and in what ways do you see such aid contributing to development?

- In order to create stability, democracy and strengthen human rights globally, development aid has the most important function to play. Development aid and its executors, civil society, are a basic prerequisite for a functioning democracy, says Louise Lindfors.

Sweden has long been described as a leading country in international financial aid, among others by OECD, but as aid has been restructured, Louise Lindfors believes that the ambition to stand in solidarity with the global south has been lowered.

Little aid goes to agriculture

Agriculture is a low priority in Swedish aid. Only three percent of Sweden's aid went to agricultural development, according to a report from 2022 who studied Swedish aid during the period 2005 to 2020. The Africa groups, which work with food sovereignty and to support sustainable agriculture in southern Africa, believe, however, that agricultural aid is central to development in the region. And despite the fact that the issue of food security gained increasing focus during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, agricultural aid was low during last year.

- Consequences of the pandemic, climate disasters and Russia's war in Ukraine mean that food shortages and poverty are now increasing for the first time in several decades, a development heading in the wrong direction, says Louise Lindfors.

The central issues for the Africa groups, such as the fight of poverty and hunger, goes hand in hand with the capacity to create food supply for local communities, something that can be affected by reduced aid, according to Louise Lindfors. She believes that since there is a well-functioning agriculture of grain in Africa, which would already be enough to feed the entire population of the continent today, parts of agriculture that deal with power, knowledge and distribution of resources will be important for the future.

Louise Lindfors further believes that the combination of the climate crisis and the more intense pressure from states and companies to industrialize agriculture in southern Africa are additional challenges.

- Power over food is the most important future issue. 

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