Kenya calls for shift from aid dependency to strategic partnerships

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi. [File, Standard]

Kenya has called for a shift in global development cooperation, urging countries and institutions to move away from traditional aid models and instead embrace partnerships built on mutual interests, investment and local ownership.

Speaking during the inauguration of the International Development Cooperation Conference in Nairobi, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said in a statement that the current global environment had exposed weaknesses in long-standing development structures, requiring a new approach.

He said countries in the Global South should no longer be viewed solely through the lens of traditional aid, adding that the existing model had not delivered the expected outcomes.

“Kenya and indeed the wider Global South no longer seek traditional charity. We demand agency. Our continent is no longer the poster child of a charity case; we are a dynamic hub of human talent, digital innovation and unmatched natural resources,” read the statement.

According to the CS, development cooperation should focus on expanding access to markets, technology transfer and private investment rather than dependency on grants and donor financing. Adding that international partnerships are strongest when built on transparent, mutual utility rather than patronising dependencies.

Echoing his remarks, Ralf Erbel, Project Director for East Africa and Global Partnership at Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, said development cooperation must prioritise local participation and trust.

From left: Ralf Erbel, Project Director, FNF, Nairobi; Zainab Hawa Bangura, UN Director-General, Nairobi; Ahmed Abdissalan Ibrahim, State Department for National Government Coordination PS and Prof Karl-Heinz Paqué, President of Liberal International, during the FNF Conference 2026 held at Nairobi Serena Hotel, Nairobi. [Courtesy]

“The deeper crisis of development cooperation is not only a crisis of budgets but above all a crisis of political support, trust and relevance,” Erbel said.

He added that to earn public trust, international cooperation must be credible, efficient and measurably effective, showing not only good intentions but real results.

“The answer is not to abandon development cooperation, and it is not to continue with yesterday’s routines as if the world had not changed,” he said.

On her part, Dr Zainab Hawa Bangura, Director-General of the United Nations Office in Nairobi, said the real question was whether global institutions can adapt quickly enough and deliver results that people can see and trust.

The remarks come amid growing concerns over shrinking aid flows, rising debt obligations and increased competition for public resources, pressures that development institutions and governments are increasingly facing globally.