• News
    • Latest news
    • News search
    • Health
    • Finance
    • Food
    • Career news
    • Content series
    • Try Devex Pro
  • Jobs
    • Job search
    • Post a job
    • Employer search
    • CV Writing
    • Upcoming career events
    • Try Career Account
  • Funding
    • Funding search
    • Funding news
  • Talent
    • Candidate search
    • Devex Talent Solutions
  • Events
    • Upcoming and past events
    • Partner on an event
  • Post a job
  • About
      • About us
      • Membership
      • Newsletters
      • Advertising partnerships
      • Devex Talent Solutions
      • Contact us
Join DevexSign in
Join DevexSign in

News

  • Latest news
  • News search
  • Health
  • Finance
  • Food
  • Career news
  • Content series
  • Try Devex Pro

Jobs

  • Job search
  • Post a job
  • Employer search
  • CV Writing
  • Upcoming career events
  • Try Career Account

Funding

  • Funding search
  • Funding news

Talent

  • Candidate search
  • Devex Talent Solutions

Events

  • Upcoming and past events
  • Partner on an event
Post a job

About

  • About us
  • Membership
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising partnerships
  • Devex Talent Solutions
  • Contact us
  • My Devex
  • Update my profile % complete
  • Account & privacy settings
  • My saved jobs
  • Manage newsletters
  • Support
  • Sign out
Latest newsNews searchHealthFinanceFoodCareer newsContent seriesTry Devex Pro
    • News

    Experts Fear 'Huge Amount of Waste' With Massive US Spending in Afghanistan

    By Ma. Rizza Leonzon // 01 June 2010
    Afghan men take part in a sanitation project under a cash-for-work program by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Photo by: USAID Afghanistan

    In Afghanistan, the U.S. is fighting Taliban insurgents with economic aid. Through cash-for-work programs, the U.S. hopes to keep Afghans from serving the Taliban. To do this, the American government is spending large amounts of money, and it is spending fast.

    The surge of U.S. financing is particularly evident in Nawa, Afghanistan, where the U.S. Agency for International Development intends to spend some USD30 million in the next nine months to improve agriculture in the rural district. Other U.S.-backed projects will bring more funding to Nawa next year.

    While the provision of economic aid has generated job opportunities in Nawa, experts fear that the Afghan government will not be able to sustain the program. Farmers may also have more crops that they will be able to sell.

    “We’ve blasted Nawa with a phenomenal amount of money in the name of counterinsurgency without fully thinking through the second- and third-order effects,” British development expert Ian Purves said.

    But Rory Donohoe, USAID’s agriculture program manager in the Helmand province, argues that resuscitating Nawa’s economy “requires a large effort.” USAID plans to use up some USD250 million over one year to support farm production in the provinces of Helmand and Kandahar.

    As reported by Devex, USAID is providing supplies and services to farmers in both provinces in exchange for their collaboration with Afghanistan’s government, in a bid to counter Taliban insurgency.

    “The spending here is a preview of what the Obama administration wants to accomplish on a larger scale,” The Washington Post says. “USAID’s ‘burn rate’ in Afghanistan – the amount it spends – is about [USD]300 million a month and will probably stay at that level for at least a year.”

    Development experts have raised their concerns on Afghanistan’s capacity to absorb financing.

    “We’ve turned a fire hose on these guys – and they can’t absorb it,” said a former USAID contractor in Afghanistan. “We’re setting ourselves up for a huge amount of waste and fraud.”

    • Funding
    Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).

    About the author

    • Ma. Rizza Leonzon

      Ma. Rizza Leonzon

      As a former staff writer, Rizza focused mainly on business coverage, including key donors such as the Asian Development Bank and AusAID.

    Search for articles

    Related Stories

    Funding insightsOutside of USAID, how much did other US agencies spend on development?

    Outside of USAID, how much did other US agencies spend on development?

    Devex DishDevex Dish: Shock and fear for food programs amid US aid freeze

    Devex Dish: Shock and fear for food programs amid US aid freeze

    The Trump effectNGOs in Afghanistan left guessing on waivers as humanitarian aid stalls

    NGOs in Afghanistan left guessing on waivers as humanitarian aid stalls

    Food systemsUS-grown food aid is stranded in ports worldwide despite waiver

    US-grown food aid is stranded in ports worldwide despite waiver

    Most Read

    • 1
      How low-emissions livestock are transforming dairy farming in Africa
    • 2
      Opinion: Mobile credit, savings, and insurance can drive financial health
    • 3
      Opinion: India’s bold leadership in turning the tide for TB
    • 4
      How AI-powered citizen science can be a catalyst for the SDGs
    • 5
      Strengthening health systems by measuring what really matters
    • News
    • Jobs
    • Funding
    • Talent
    • Events

    Devex is the media platform for the global development community.

    A social enterprise, we connect and inform over 1.3 million development, health, humanitarian, and sustainability professionals through news, business intelligence, and funding & career opportunities so you can do more good for more people. We invite you to join us.

    • About us
    • Membership
    • Newsletters
    • Advertising partnerships
    • Devex Talent Solutions
    • Post a job
    • Careers at Devex
    • Contact us
    © Copyright 2000 - 2025 Devex|User Agreement|Privacy Statement