Bravo Shaukat—rethink aid build capacity!
We all know that the army is good only at usurping power but little else. They went looking for an economist and got a smooth suave private banker—Shaukat Aziz. So much for their intelligence (no pun intended).
Our new Shaukat--Shaukat Tarin the Finance Minister of Pakistan-- has finally got it that even to obtain aid you must know your mind and negotiate. He has raised the all important issue of how donor funds never reach Pakistan or are intermediated away. Sadly no one in the media has picked it up. I feel particularly sad since I have been raising this subject for years.
Let us look at the USAID figures (See table below) which I have got from their website. Of the 1.2 billion that they report their only about 20 are given to local institutions like the Khushali Bank and HEC. The rest are all awarded to American firms that none of know anything about. Even though some of these firms have been here for years, we still do not know of them or hear of their consultants or even see them.
What are these firms doing? How are they affecting our policy? What is the quality of their consultants? Who makes up projects with fancy titles like “empower Pakistan”? Where are these projects reviewed? What Pakistani intellect is brought to bear on these projects?
Sadly we do not ask these questions. The media is focused on rumor and sensation. They do not question USAID officials. The only time USAID official s appear on TV is to teach Yoga! Expensive yoga lessons!
Unfortunately our talent finds no place at home since all policy thinking is done by the consultants who have large research funds and the government ear at their disposal. It is not surprising that I find Pakistani PhDs and engineers running franchises in the US instead of contributing to policy.
We should reflect on this aid.
| Project | Implementing Firm | Amount (USD million) | Duration | |
| | | | | |
| Pakistan Legislative Strengthening Project (PSLP) | Development Alternatives, Inc. | 17 | September 2005 - May 2010 | |
| Pakistan Districts That Work (DTW) | The Urban Institute | 26 | August 2006 - November 2009 | |
| Pakistan Election Support Program | IFES, UNDP, The Asia Foundation, & Democracy International | 32 | September 2006 - September 2010 | |
| Earthquake construction | CDM construction | 120 | Sep 06-Sep 2011 | |
| Community Rehabilitation Infratructure support program | Winrock International | 150 | Feb 09 -Feb14 | |
| Community Rehabilitation Integration and decentralization in Earthquake affected areas | International Rescue Committee | 28 | Sep 06-Sep 10 | |
| Revitalizing, Innovating and strengthening Education | American Institutes of Research | 17 | ||
| Improving Livelihoods and Enterprise Development | CNFA Inc | 28 | Sep 06 sep 09 | |
| Developing Financial Services for Communiteis witout credit | Khushhali Bank (KB) | 11 | September 2003 to September 2010 | |
| Competitive Support Fund (CSF) | Foreign consultatn | 11 | Sep 06 sep 09 | |
| Improve Agricultural Practices in Balochistan | fao | 15 | November 2004 to December 2011 | |
| Empower Pakistan: Energy Policy | Advanced Engineering Associates Inc. | 6 | October 2008 to October 2010 | |
| Empower Pakistan: Energy Efficiency and Capacity | International Resource Group (IRG) | 26 | March 2009 to March 2012 | |
| Empower Pakistan: Jobs | Care International | 80 | May 2009 to May 2014 | |
| Empower Pakistan: Firms | Chemonics | 90 | May 2009 to May 2013 | |
| Empower Pakistan: Performance | QED Group | 25 | February 2009 to March 2014 | |
| USAID - Fulbright Scholarship Program | U.S. Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) | 93 | September 2004 - September 2009 | |
| Collaborative Capacity Building of Human Rights and Gender | American University Washington College of Law | 2.4 | January, 2009 - January, 2013 | |
| College Improvement Program at FC College | Forman Christian College, Lahore | 5 | September 2004 - September 2009 | |
| Higher Education Commission - Financial Aid Development (HEC-FAD) Program | Academy for Educational Development (AED) | 4 | September 2008 - September 2010 | |
| Links to Learning: Education Support to Pakistan (ED-LINKS) | American Institutes for Research (AIR | 90 | October 2007 - September 2012 | |
| Merit and Needs-based Scholarship Program, | Higher Education Commission | 6.8 | July 2004 - onwards | |
| Pre-Service Teachers Education Program (Pre-STEP) | Academy for Educational Development (AED) | 75 | September 2008 - September 2013 | |
| Strenghtening Teacher Education in Pakistan | UNESCO | 3.4 | October 2005 - June 2009 | |
| US-Pakistan Science and Technology coop program | National Academy of Sciences (NAS) | 7.5 | June 2005 - December 2011 | |
| Food Security Relief Program in Pakistan | World Food Program | 22.3 | January 2009 - March 2010 | |
| Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns (PAIMAN) | John Snow Research and Training Institute Inc. (Prime) | 92.8 | October 2004 - September 2010 | |
| Family Advancement for Life and Health (FALAH) | Population Council | 60 | June 2007 - May 2012 | |
| Technical Assistance for Capacity-building in Midwifery, Information and Logistics (TACMIL) | Abt Associates Inc. | 10.9 | December 2007 - December 2009 | |
| Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (FELTP) | Center for Disease Control (CDC) | 5.7 | September 2005 (Annual Buy-in) | |
| Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative: Surveillance | World Health Organization (WHO) | 4.8 | October 2004 - September 2009 | |
| Pakistan HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Project (PHAPCP) | Research Triangle Institute (RTI) | 3.3 | February 2006 - June 2009 | |
| Pakistan Safe Drinking Water and Hygiene Promotion Project (PSDW-HPP) | Abt Associates Inc. | 17.9 | October 2006 - September 2009 | |
| Strengthening of Tuberculosis to Enhance the Quality of DOTS Program in Pakistan | World Health Organization (WHO) | 6 | September 2004 - March 2009 | |
| $1,192 |
I know of at least one fulbright scholar. I have seen work being done at places like PASDEC and PGJDC. These are USAID based projects. Maybe you need to ask the donor agencies for details on how the money was spent and the results which were obtained from the money spent.
ReplyDeleteIf they do or do not provide the information, please report back here.
I know of several companies which are outsources for funding and they do the work.
Referring to your statement :
"Sadly we do not ask these questions. The media is focused on rumor and sensation. They do not question USAID officials. The only time USAID official s appear on TV is to teach Yoga! Expensive yoga lessons! "
It is your media which did not mention the names of the USAID people giving yoga lessons. I have met several USAID and related people who were all doing real work.
Please ask the real questions and get the real answers.
If money was misappropriated and it was supposed to come to Pakistan, please do provide the details so we can inform the donor agencies. As far as I know there are many firms which can do work. So the competition is high. Having the ear of politicians can land you the contract, but if you do not do the work, then we can get the proof or ask for the proof for the work done.
Please do your part and confirm your suspicions by contacting the awarded companies directly.
Khawar Nehal
khawar.nehal@gmail.com