African leaders abuse Chinese aid

NAIROBI: China’s “no strings attached” aid is being abused by African leaders who channel the lion’s share of funds to their home areas, US-led researchers found in the first geo-referenced database of Chinese aid to the continent.

China is a favoured donor for many African presidents, weary of the conditions attached to Western aid.

China’s policy of noninterference makes it easy for corrupt politicians to use it to reward their political supporters, rather than direct it to the areas most in need.

“The home regions of African presidents receive three to four times more Chinese aid,” Roland Hodler, a professor of economics at Switzerland’s University of St Gallen, said. “This suggests that the Chinese principle of non-interference in domestic affairs allows African presidents to use Chinese aid for patronage politics.” – Reuters