Former Diplomat and Ambassador Criticizes Sida: “Shut It Down”

All the billions of kronor that Swedish taxpayers have been forced to pump into various projects around the world through Sida have not worked, and it is time to shut down the aid agency. That is the opinion of Harald Sandberg, retired diplomat and ambassador.

Sida has been surrounded by controversies in recent years. The main issues have concerned legal certainty and transparency in the agency’s decisions, as well as criticism of inefficiency and slow processes. There have also been concerns that the money is making no difference, and in the worst cases, disappears into corruption and worsens already dire situations.

“After more than half a century of extensive Swedish and Western aid, it is high time to speak plainly,” writes Harald Sandberg in DN Debatt.

He states that the aid policy that has been built up since the 1960s has not only delivered weak results relative to efforts made, but in many respects is also a systematic failure.

Sandberg points out that both research and experience show that large, long-term flows of aid often distort local markets, fuel corruption, erode states’ responsibility to their citizens, and create chronic dependency. The belief that the next reform, reorganization, or political shift will “save” aid, he argues, is an illusion. After decades of failed attempts, the conclusion should be obvious, he asserts.

Dismantle Sida

The Tidö Government’s agenda, with focus, efficiency, and clearer Swedish interests, is in his view a step in the right direction but does not go far enough.

“The problem is not just how the aid is used, but its volume, its institutional structure, and the ideological worldview that underpins the policy,” writes Sandberg.

As a necessary first step, he therefore sees a drastic reduction in the total volume, and then the shutdown of Sida. Instead, he wants to see Sweden’s development financier, Swedfund, given significantly increased resources and transformed into a Swedish development bank.

Realistic Assessments

All aid aimed at political and social value transfer ambitions should be phased out, and Swedish aid should not be based on neo-colonial notions of transferring values, but rather on realistic assessments of where resources can contribute to lasting freedom, growth, and independence, Sandberg summarizes.

It is high time to rip off the bandage, accept reality, and deal with the consequences. Sweden needs aid that builds a future and prosperity, not dependency and illusions. We owe that both to those the support is intended to help and the Swedish taxpayers who fund it.