By John Ogunsemore
The President of the African School of Governance (ASG), Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, has urged African nations to desist from reliance on foreign aid and healthcare interventions.
Moghalu was reacting to US President Donald Trump’s policy cutting funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Trump also moved to stop the supply of lifesaving drugs for HIV, malaria and tuberculosis in countries supported by USAID around the globe.
The move is part of a wider freeze on US aid and funding put in place since Trump took office on January 20, while programmes are reviewed.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Moghalu said it was high time African nations began prioritising healthcare funding from their own resources.
He urged the African nations to begin repurposing funds expended on the comfort of politicians to fund healthcare and other critical sectors.
He said, “African countries must make funding for healthcare from their own resources a priority.
“Reliance on foreign aid for healthcare interventions is not wisdom. President Trump’s withdrawal of the US from the World Health Organisation (WHO) is a wake-up call.
“African countries CAN fund their own healthcare. Most simply have the wrong priorities.
“What many African countries receive in aid is nothing compared to the resources that are wasted on the comfort of politicians or corruptly misappropriated.
“There are, of course, countries that are exceptions to this general situation.”