UK Boris Johnson has questioned the wisdom of giving aid to Zambia and Tanzania because doing so does not help the UK in its geopolitical battle against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a statement to parliament on Tuesday, Mr. Johnson announced he would scrap the Department for International Development and hand its duties to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Announcing the merger of two government departments, the Prime Minister said it had been “right for their time” to set up the current arrangements back in 1997.
Mr Johnson said, there had been an “inherent risk” with the two separate departments, of “our left and right hands working independently”.
Mr. Johnson compared the aid money the UK gave to Zambia and Ukraine, and to Tanzania and a group of former Balkan states, adding no single independent department was “empowered to make sure whether they made sense or not”.
Mr. Johnson told MPs: “DFID outspends the Foreign Office more than four times over and yet no single decision-maker in either department is able to unite our efforts or take a comprehensive overview.
“We give as much aid to Zambia as we do to Ukraine, though the latter is vital for European security. We give ten times as much aid to Tanzania as we do to the six countries of the Western Balkans, who are acutely vulnerable to Russian meddling.”
“And, regardless of the merits of these decisions, no single department is currently empowered to judge whether they make sense or not: we tolerate an inherent risk of our left and right hands working independently.”
Charities and opposition parties accused him of “political vandalism” but Johnson said the decision would mean aid was handed out in a way that benefit’s the UK’s interests.
In Zambia and Tanzania, 60% and 36% of people live below the poverty line.
In Ukraine, this figure is just 3.8%.
In a 2002 Spectator article, Boris Johnson described Ugandans as “aids-ridden” people who can’t build their own bicyles and live in “stone age conditions “in mud huts.
He said that the UK should still be in charge of the country.
He has also called black people as “picaninnies” who have “watermelon smiles” and said that Barack Obama disliked the UK because of his Kenyan ancestry.
Mr. Johnson has been one of the targets of recent Black Lives Matter protests with demonstrators labelling him a racist.
Simply no more aid ending up in Bandit Edgar Chagwa Lungu kawalala pockets
JOHNSON please keep your covid 19 infested pound. We do not it iwe kapala.
I knew foolish followers of Bantustan party will bring in ECL, read with your brain not with your already preconceived mind. Boris is against Blacks not government’s or governance. Is Obama a PF follower to be mentioned
Johnson your ancestors raped this country of its wealth. Your ancestors took our great grand fathers as slaves to Great Britain, Our great grand fathers sweat and energy built your cities and your roads. It is not a choice for you to give us the money. You must just do it and give even more!! We have the right to enjoy the contribution of our fathers to the economy of Britain. Infact we will be coming to settle and live in London where our wealth is. See you soon
Slave trade was abolished and Aid that has never developed any country under the sun has become a tool for racists and imperialists and modern day colonialists to twist poor countries arms !!! This is an acceptable. Zambia should start doing away with Aid cause it never develops any country. it only makes you a better beggar for life!
**Unacceptable
I quote: Charities and opposition parties accused him of “political vandalism” but Johnson said”” the decision would mean aid was handed out in a way that benefit’s the UK’s interests.””
Aid is for there interests!! Full Stop
To be honest, this has been long overdue.
Yes Britain got rich on the back of Africa and India. It took so much from us. It is still taking.
China will also get their pound of flesh.
The world is changing. There will be less and less foreign aid.
But we should not be expecting to be given handouts in this way.
The trouble is that we have thieves as leaders.
They are corrupt to the core that they are happy to give away our mines in exchange for brown envelopes.
Finally you have a British Prime Minister who has the bollocks to do the right thing. This so called AID was never AID at all to begin with. They give with one hand and take back with the other. It’s this same so called AID they use to coerce foolish presidents like Lungu to perpetuate their imperialist machinations worldwide. Further, 56 years after independence, surely, how can we still be sleeping on our laurels expecting alms to keep falling from our former colonialists like Jesus oozed manna from heaven? It’s a shame. I would expect the US to also do the same, then the whole EU. This will teach the thieving bandits called PF to stop stealing!
To be honest am sick of these so called Aid to Africa. It is time our leaders wake up and make a United Africa to get rid of the inferiority complex when it comes to other continents.
PF see what you have done with your Adada? Kkk
Boris Johnson has made my day, he said Ugandans aids ridden people who can’t built their bicycles and live in mud sling huts…and picaninnies who smiles watermelons, hahahaha kikikikiki.
The boer is a hardcore racist.
Lets start thinking using our brains and not bellies, Africa can survive without AID as long as we kill corruption and selfishness that most African leaders including Zambia exhibit..
Its like your you live on the alms of your neighbor every day. Thats how Zambia is. Please wake up people of Zambia…depend on your selves.
The U.K. has heard our discussions that lungu creates funding holes by diverting cash for service delivery to pay his unemployed thugs to harass opposition and shutdown independent media while letting other thugs control public spaces depriving councils of much needed funds then waits for foreign aid to plug the holes created……
This is long overdue…. these monies have just enriched dictators and their gang of thieves like in Zambia and at the end of the day they say we do not need to be told anything we are independent countries…. All aid needs to be cut. The sooner this is done then the emperors of Africa will release that they have been walking naked.
GOOD NEWS!
What aid does china give to Africa? Completely nothing apart from loans. The west has been giving free aid for decades. I fully support the cut. For once the UK has a leader with a brain
China gives no aid. Completely nothing apart from loans. The west has been giving free aid for decades. I fully support the cut. For once the UK has a leader with a brain
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s line of diplomacy can best be handled by our Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, UK has national rights to choose states that it can be associated internationally and with which states UK can co-exist with. It is interesting that Boris Johnson shares the same political cards as Donald Trump. The future will tell. As for Zambia, the advent of COVID-19 teaches us many lessons. This is an occasion for this country to strive to (1) develop home-grown industries, (2) develop Health Institutions to international standards, (3) develop and equip national Universities to global levels, and (4) develop, diversify & sustain agriculture to feed into agro-industries (just like Holland) to eliminate hunger and export to global markets. Good luck to Boris Johnson.
You can’t keep on funding a government like Lazy Lungu’s forever asking for repayment extensions and no foreign policy whatsoever!!
Thank you to my MP who I have spammed excessively complaining about lungu using my tax money as UK foringe aid to pay for his thugs and bribe voters……
Now the rest of EU……
While Africa ought to have been economically independent and viable by now, it does not take away the fact that it’s resources built the West and the “aid” has just been a conduit of hoodwinking us into thinking they have been paying back or that the plunder has stopped.
On a separate perspective, Johnson is a nationalist and a disgrace. Another disaster for a world that is meant to go forward
And yet here we have black skinned coons from diaspora criticising their fellow African leaders while the leaders of their own adopted countries disrespects their heritage and race. Now when the Same whites discriminate against you and view you as second class monkeys, can you blame them when you have coons above like tarino who are wiping old bums and see no problem with their former countries and fellow Africans being insulted. The riches and development of Europe were made on the backs of Africa and Africans. So it is very rich for any European to think that we are not owed a single thing. Without the abuse of Africa the British including boris would not be as obese eating and enjoying Africas resources. Kz
The “aid” having enriched our leaders at the expense of the populace, is only a part of our own internal numerous issues we have with our regime types. Such as the type that currently exists in Zambia and should never have been tolerated in the first place. We have just had the ineviable accolade of being amongst the 4 most peaceful countries in Africa. More like disastrously docile, it should have been said
Its good to see what boris and UK government think of all of you black diasporans with African heritage. Are you guys happy and proud to be viewed that way. At least here in Zambia we know that our leader is just like us and views us without disrespect or disgust.
Truth will emerge. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s line of diplomacy can best be handled by our Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, UK has national rights to choose states that it can be associated internationally and with which states UK can co-exist with. It is interesting that Boris Johnson shares the same political cards as Donald Trump. The future will tell. As for Zambia, the advent of COVID-19 teaches us many lessons. This is an occasion for this country to strive to (1) develop home-grown industries, (2) develop Health Institutions to international standards, (3) develop and equip national Universities to global levels, and (4) develop, diversify & sustain agriculture to feed into agro-industries (just like Holland) to eliminate hunger and export to global markets. Good luck to…
@KZ,
Its good to see that the UK now has a leader with brains who is closing the tap on your A.SSES.
White people should stop giving Aid to Africa but pay back for Slaves they used to develop their countries and also pay back for the Mineral wealth they have stolen from Africa. African did not make the first journey to Europe or America but Europeans made the first Journey to Africa. So are the Asians. The person who needed the other made the Journey.
The soon this happens the better. We need to step up.
Kaizar ZuIu
It is you and people like lungu and the rest of PF leadership who Boris views as useless monkies , given billions bearly 5 years ago , yet going begging with tails between your legs to the IMF for a bailout….
For all his Education that is the definition of AID he could come up with it does not BENEFIT THE UK… BUT AGAIN we are understanding more about these so called developed GOVERNMENTS … AID should be for the people receiving it to benefit not the giver otherwise they have nothing to give but an agenda so just sign the appropriate paper work and stop calling it AID.
That’s fine, cut the aid Boris. PF close the tap on British companies being able to externalise money. Let all receipts reflect in Zambian banks and let them take not less than 2 years to take it out.
KZ, it’s sad that these diasporan donkeys would rather praise a racist prime minister who calls their children “picaninnies” who have “watermelon smiles” and his followers will throw bananas at their children while labelling them second class citizens and economic refugees. THESE PEOPLE ARE SIMPLY A LOW DOWN DIRTY SHAME!!!
This decision by the UK makes sense. We don’t even hv to talk about hw aid money is spent. The auditor-general in Zambia always reports hw our own money is spent. If our own money is not spent properly, wht about aid money? Boris Johnson read classics at Oxford. It’s not the kind of course where u learn hw society functions. It’s not course that can free your mind from primitive stereotypes.
Let’s not forget that UK has moral legacy obligations to its former colonies.
They took over land they didn’t own. Governed without mandate and reaped resource endowed to the locals. They segregated us and forced us into labour through the hut tax and other draconian methods.
UK left us with infrastructure that only served to send raw materials to the London. They left on 100 graduates and no rural infrastructure.
They own Africa big time.
That said. Keep your aid, but give Africa clear access to global markets. Don’t discriminate against African goods and services.
Stop the illicit financial flows that take away our tax revenue.
We want trade not aid.
By the way, it is time rename “Victoria Falls” and other effigies of the colonial era, including “Livingstone”.
Also, we want all Zambians that fought in World War II, recognized with back pay for the underpayment and blood shed.
The UK announcement to abolish foreign aid should be welcome. We should be determining our own destiny. I hope Zambia will soon announce tightening the tax loopholes with the mines so that we can use our own money with no strings attached.
The British ran us from 1896 to 1964= 68 yrs, we have been doing our own thing for almost 57 yrs and we accomplished nothing and have begged all this aid money for all this time and its never got to the real Zambians just the corrupt ones. At least we can ride our Chinese bikes!!! As for changing the name of Vic Falls and Livingstone what do you suggest Sikufele we call them ? Lungu Falls
No more money for Lungu and KZ and PF to steal
Angela Merkel should do the same, the German tax payers money donated to Zambia ends up in a few pockets of greedy corrupt thieves
Britain has stolen from Zambia for centuries such that the so called aid is meaningless. We can not continue to be given hand-out after selling copper on London stock exchange. It is time we let Britain feed for herself. I suggest we pull out of the worthless commonwealth nonsense.
Just get it up, it’s time for self reliance for we are tired of being teased up everytime.
Yes take the aid, we don’t want it
Thomas Sankara said he that feeds you controls you
All those crying for aid don’t worry, your all weather friends , the Chinese will step up . Worry not fellas.
Let’s pray the EU doesn’t follow suit as it will be a mess.
kikikikiki, i like that! but we shall build Africa… The world has not ended!!
@Adam
Hope the EU does the same.Its anyway all wasted money which now is needed in the EU.
Kaizar Zulu is done. British Aid has been his pocket money. No one talks about British aid in the corridors of State House because it is the boss’s and Kaizar’s ATM. Boris wants it cut off, Kaizar is trapped and is vetting his frustrations on Zambians abroad who he calls criminals. KKKK who’s a criminal? When you become one you cease to see the crimes you commit. Kaizar should have been long in jail. Remember mulandu si ubola. You day will come. Go back to reading newspapers you dejected fella.
KZ kawalala wakanthu, you think they do not know that you are buying houses in UK out of the aid you are given. You will have a heart attack cause of the hate you have on Zambian working abroad. I would rather be out here than smelling your farts . Time will tell and catch up with you . wenyo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you bloody crook of all crooks.
PF MUST GO
or zambians die
Choice is yours, lungu and Pf will never think of you
Oh and by the way KZ is just a boot licker for his master Valden Findlay
MOST BLOGGERS HERE HAVE MISSED THE POINT JOHNSON WAS MAKING.
HE WAS NOT SINGLING OUT ZAMBIA BUT CONTRASTING THE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF UKRAINE AGAINST THAT OF ZAMBIA WITH REGARD TO UK’S INTERESTS VIS A VIS RUSSIA WHICH IS UF’S STRATEGIC ADVERASRY..
THERE WAS NO DELIBERATE INTENT TO MALIGN ZAMBIA, OR TANZANIA FOR THAT MATTER.
TO THE PF HATERS IT WAS ENOUGH FODDER TO MALIGN THE GOVERNMENT AND OUR PRESISENT
CHIZUNGU CHIVUTA !!
IN FACT THE LT HEADLINE WAS THE SOURCE OF THE MISAPREHENSION !!
CORRECTED VERSION:
MOST BLOGGERS HERE HAVE MISSED THE POINT JOHNSON WAS MAKING.
HE WAS NOT SINGLING OUT ZAMBIA BUT CONTRASTING THE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF UKRAINE AGAINST THAT OF ZAMBIA WITH REGARD TO UK’S INTERESTS VIS A VIS RUSSIA WHICH IS UK’S STRATEGIC ADVERSARY..
THERE WAS NO DELIBERATE INTENT TO MALIGN ZAMBIA, OR TANZANIA FOR THAT MATTER.
TO THE PF HATERS IT WAS ENOUGH FODDER TO MALIGN THE GOVERNMENT AND OUR PRESIDENT
Where is my comment??
Why did he not go further and ask for the abolition of the Common Wealth? What’s the point of that institution that reminds us of colonialism and Britain’s bandit past? Surely, the reason why UK should support Zambia is because we rather than Ukraine are in the commonwealth and our Union is based on trade and support of our shared history.
Now who had I’ll will to China? They try to remove China’s influence in Africa so they can come and steal our mineral wealth whilst having no respect for us. Theresa May was a very decent Prime Minister who bothered to come to Africa, dance with us and was to encourage trade between us. Boris is disappointing after winning us non Tory supporters.
Brilliant point, Patriot. Of what benefit is the commonwealth?? This is a wake up call for Africans to start reviewing their relationship with the western countries. Africa ships out billions of its wealth through multinationals, about time we tighten the screw on this porous avenue. If all those mineral wealth ended up in African banks, who would need the conditional aid????
Did we really become independent? You are only independent if you do not rely on someone else’s aid to survive. We are not independent. We are dependent, and our leaders are to blame. We have been given a lot of aid, that aid should have helped us to become fully independent but our leaders especially pathetic Fools (PF) pocketed a lot of this aid and made themselves rich. I think Borison is just beating about the bush, he is just upset to see that this aid only benefits a few individuals instead of country citizens for which aid is intended.
Borison is just saying it’s better to stop helping corrupt leaders. It doesn’t make sense. Before giving aid you should first evaluate the individuals responsible for handling the aid. Are they transparent, will they distribute the aid fairly and equally to the people it is intended? I will answer for Zambia, PF is not transparent, PF misappropriate every monitary resources, PF does not love Zambian citizens, PF aims to make Zambian slaves so that they have to bow to them for everything they need. PF governance is all about themselves getting richer at the expense of the poor. Even if it was you giving aid would be happy?
In simple terms, Borison is indirectly saying Zambia doesn’t deserve to receive aid because this aid was supposed to ensure that the poor are not above 60%. Zambian Government has failed & PF must go to prison
Aid? What aid? I wonder how blacks get manipulated mentally. Europe has never given Africa reparations for the robbery and genocidal murder of Africans for 400 years.
Britain took Zambia’s minerals without paying compensation for them. for free! mahala! They now want to say they are tired of giving us a few million dollars? Naimwe anthu wofipa muvomela? Learn your history and don’t be in a hurry to obey the white man when he says let’s forget and move on. That’s why you’re in perpetual slavery cos you remember when the white man wants you to remember and forget when he tells you to forget. Like when he drew borders for you and told you to forget your past
UK increased aid to Zambia when they agreed that Mwabawasa gives white Zimbabwean farmers after Mugabe kicked them out of the land. Now that their interests were saved, they don’t see reason for aid.