The United Kingdom’s aid watchdog has laid bare how the “dysfunction” triggered by the abolition of the Department for International Development left it struggling to obtain information about programs and unable to pay some of its staff.
The Independent Commission for Aid Impact, or ICAI, said it had been difficult “to deliver on our mandate” since the creation of the merged Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office — “a much bigger department with many pressing priorities” — in September 2020.
“We have faced greater challenges in accessing information, carrying out our country visits, dealing with a continually changing cast of interlocutors, and having to use FCDO’s IT, finance and HR systems which have been dysfunctional for most of the time,” its annual report, published on Thursday, stated.
About the author
Rob Merrick
Rob Merrick is the U.K. Correspondent for Devex, covering FCDO and British aid. He reported on all the key events in British politics of the past 25 years from Westminster, including the financial crash, the Brexit fallout, the "Partygate" scandal, and the departures of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Rob has worked for The Independent and the Press Association and is a regular commentator on TV and radio. He can be reached at rob.merrick@devex.com.
