Canada’s $35M Commitment to Africa Raises Familiar Questions on Accountability
Canada is set to funnel $35 million into Africa for “gender equality and women’s empowerment initiatives,” raising a familiar question: what exactly is this funding going toward, and will Canadians ever see proof that it makes a difference?
Global Affairs Canada (GAC) announced the funding this week, with Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen and Edmonton MP Randy Boissonnault promoting it as a move to “strengthen gender equality and human rights” in Africa. The department’s official statements paint a picture of empowering projects, but specific details are lacking.
Canada’s track record on foreign aid transparency doesn’t inspire confidence. While GAC has supplied a recipient list with dollar amounts, specific plans for implementation and accountability are scarce.
This announcement follows a familiar pattern in GAC’s aid initiatives. Last year, an Auditor General report found that GAC’s lack of oversight left the department unable to verify whether its gender equality projects were achieving tangible results. The audit exposed a trail of incomplete project files and poor information management, making past initiatives nearly impossible to evaluate—a pattern that appears to be repeating itself today.
Auditor General Karen Hogan deemed it imperative that Global Affairs “act immediately” to improve its information management practices. The office informed Coastal Front last year that GAC committed to quarterly progress updates on its information management reforms, though no further details or updates have been made public.
According to Hussen, “Canada stands firm in support of gender equality in Africa.” But skeptics say Canada’s lofty aims are undercut by a lack of clear targets or measurable outcomes. The funding’s broad goals include improving access to essential services and bolstering women’s leadership, but without data or defined benchmarks, it’s anyone’s guess whether these millions will make any difference.
Canadian taxpayers, who are footing the bill for this foreign aid, are still left wondering exactly how these funds will be used—or if they’ll see meaningful results for their money.
This latest African aid package echoes Canada’s recent $55 million pledge to Syria, where GAC later admitted it had no concrete allocation plan for the funds. Coastal Front’s probe into the Syria funding revealed multiple delays and evasive answers from GAC on basic questions, leaving Canadians in the dark on how their money would be spent.
Further, a deeper dive into GAC’s Syrian funding brought forth much more concerning revelations, which you can read about HERE.
