Dr. Jibril Mohamed Ahmed, Founder of Mybirr— Africa’s voice first, blockchain enabled smart walletFor decades, aid has poured into Africa with the promise of fighting poverty, building resilience, and restoring hope. Billions of dollars have been committed, countless organizations have mobilized, and yet the question remains: why is aid in Africa still not transparent? Why, despite all the goodwill and funding, is it still nearly impossible for citizens to track where the money goes, who benefits, and what outcomes are achieved?
The answer lies in a complex mix of structural weaknesses, lack of accountability, and outdated systems. In many African countries, aid flows through layers of bureaucracy and intermediaries—both government and non-government—before it ever reaches the ground. Each layer creates an opportunity for distortion, manipulation, or outright theft. What should be a clear, traceable chain of support becomes a maze of unverifiable transactions. Most of the time, aid delivery is confirmed with paperwork that is neither accessible to the public nor subject to independent scrutiny. It’s not uncommon for a single printed receipt—easily falsified or altered—to serve as the only evidence that aid was disbursed.
Another key issue is the culture of impunity. Individuals in charge of aid disbursement often hold prestigious titles or political connections that shield them from questioning. Whistleblowers are silenced, investigations are rare, and the victims—the communities the aid was meant to serve—are often too disempowered to speak out. Many are so accustomed to aid failing to reach them that they no longer expect fairness, let alone transparency. Aid becomes charity, not justice. A gift, not a right.
Moreover, donors themselves sometimes contribute to the problem. Many international agencies and donors prioritize project delivery over systemic transparency. As long as reports are submitted and boxes are ticked, deeper accountability is often ignored. This reinforces a cycle where the façade of progress is more important than the reality on the ground.
But this cannot go on. Africa deserves better. The people of Africa deserve better.
We now live in an age where technological solutions exist to fix these problems. Blockchain-based public ledgers, for example, can provide real-time, tamper-proof tracking of aid from donor to beneficiary. Mobile-based platforms can give communities the tools to confirm what they receive and report what they don’t. Public dashboards, open data systems, and third-party audits can become standard—not optional. Transparency is no longer a dream. It’s a choice.
If we want aid to truly work in Africa, we must stop treating transparency as a luxury and start making it a requirement. This means challenging entrenched systems, protecting whistleblowers, and building tools that put power in the hands of the people—not just institutions.
The future of African development depends not just on how much aid is given, but on whether it is seen, followed, and trusted. Without transparency, aid is just another transaction. With it, aid becomes transformation.
