The U.K. Department for International Development has decided to reduce its bilateral aid to Lesotho, saying the reduction will have minimal impact on overall aid flows to the African nation.
“Even without the DFID bilateral programme, Lesotho will continue to receive more aid per person than most African countries, including some which are far poorer than Lesotho in income terms,” U.K. Minister for International Development Alan Duncan told the House of Commons on Friday (March 18).
Lesotho is one of the 16 nations that will see their U.K. bilateral aid programs halted by 2016 as part of Britain’s bilateral aid review. The U.K.’s bilateral programs will cease in these 16 nations, some immediately, while others will close in the next five years after graduating as British aid recipients, according to a March 1 statement by DfID.
>> UK Releases Aid Review Results
DfID’s bilateral program to Lesotho totaled 3.7 million pounds ($6 million) last year, which “represents a small fraction of Lesotho’s overall aid,” according to Duncan.
“Our experience is that such small programmes often struggle to achieve sufficient impact,” he said.
Duncan said DfID will continue to provide some 10 million pounds to Lesotho each year through the European Union, World Bank, and debt relief and international non-governmental organizations.
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