ODA DEBT: WHEN PROMISES FADE
Efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, (SDG) are falling short, just as the 2030 deadline nears and crises intensify. As this brief shows, aid projects to Africa, particularly since 2015, have become shorter in lifespan. Together with large disbursement gaps and lags, two decades of data on external financing reveal little sign of progress in delivering development finance grounded in global solidarity and historical responsibility.
At the same time, the broader aid landscape is shifting. While the 0.7% Official Development Assistance (ODA) target has long symbolized donor commitment to global development, it remains largely unmet. Only a few countries have consistently reached this benchmark. As donor priorities shift, often shaped by ideological leanings of political parties and electoral cycles, serious questions arise about the reliability and sufficiency of future aid flows. For African countries, the implications are serious. Shorter project cycles, unpredictable disbursements, a growing preference for debt instruments and declining aid quantum risk are derailing development progress.