On the Aid and Development Nexus: A Personal Reflection on my Published paper, Fieldwork in Nigeria, and the ongoing Aid cut Debate
It is a delight to see this research, which I co-authored with my PhD supervisor, Dr. Lana Chikhungu, recently published in the Journal of Contemporary African Studies. The paper examines the relationship between Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Human Development Index (HDI) outcomes across the ECOWAS region. Our findings contribute to the broader body of research exploring whether aid translates into measurable improvements in development.
In this study, we found no strong evidence to support the idea that ODA meaningfully contributes to improvements in HDI within the region. This discovery is not entirely unexpected, given the long-standing and ongoing debates in development literature. What is especially important about our findings, however, is that it challenges one of the more hopeful narratives around aid, that it can be effective in countries with good governance. While our analysis did confirm that good governance has a positive relationship with development outcomes, we also found that introducing aid into countries that already have relatively sound governance systems, particularly in the area of regulatory quality, does not necessarily amplify progress. Instead, it appears to have the opposite effect, potentially impeding the pace of development.
Although the data analysed in the paper predates my most recent fieldwork, I cannot help but reflect on the findings in light of what I witnessed on the ground during my three-month fieldwork across eight states in Northern Nigeria in early 2025 (January-March). While the paper relied on aggregate-level data to assess the ODA–HDI nexus, my fieldwork allowed me to examine, in more nuanced and grounded terms, how aid delivered through non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is being deployed in real-time and with what effects, particularly as it relates to reducing Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) amongst internally displaced persons (IDPs).
A central component of my field research involved engaging with NGOs that form part of the Nigeria GBV Sub-Sector, coordinated through the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). These organisations are working under incredibly challenging conditions to provide essential aid-funded services, ranging from protection and counselling for women and girls to the distribution of food and non-food items in conflict-affected northern Nigeria. Their work is crucial in supporting displaced populations, especially women and girls, who are disproportionately exposed to violence and other risks in camp and host community settings.
This skills acquisition centre, which I am standing
in front of, with an equipped ICT centre,
were built for IDPs in Kuchingoro camp, Abuja, by an NGO. The IDP
camp also has a functional
healthcare centre which is managed by NGOs
However, the reality is that currently, many of these NGOs are struggling to operate. Several had already shut down or significantly scaled back their activities by the time I arrived in the field. US Aid cuts, a subject that has been trending in development discourse lately, was often cited as a major cause. The Nigerian GBV-sector coordinator revealed in the March 2025 monthly meeting, which I attended while in Nigeria, that prior to the aid cut, GBV interventions, which is a part of the protection sector, was receiving about 20 million dollars annually, but after the aid cut, all interventions under the protection sector now share just about 20 million dollars in 2025. Speaking with NGO staff and community members alike, there was a shared concern about the long-term implications of reduced aid flows. For the IDPs, especially survivors of GBV, the consequences are deeply personal and immediate. In fact, based on the stories I gathered from IDP VAWG survivors and IDP camp management regarding government neglect, the fate of IDPs in this period of aid cuts is dreadful.
This creates a profound tension, one that I continue to wrestle with as both a researcher and a VAWG prevention advocate. On one hand, large-scale empirical studies, including my recently published paper, continue to show weak or even negative associations between ODA and national-level development outcomes. On the other hand, in the context of humanitarian crises and fragile settings, the positive impacts of aid are both visible and tangible. The work done by local and international NGOs is keeping people alive, offering hope to survivors, and building the foundations for longer-term recovery and resilience.
This disjuncture raises important questions about the way we conceptualise and measure the effectiveness of aid. Is it possible that our models and metrics are failing to capture the full story? Are we asking too much of aid, expecting macro-level transformation from mechanisms that are often designed to address micro-level crises? Or are we simply not deploying aid in ways that align with the complex, critical realists’ layered realities of the communities it is meant to serve?
As my research journey continues, I find myself increasingly interested in these questions. While this first publication focused on a broader regional analysis, my fieldwork has pushed me to consider more context-specific dynamics, particularly how aid is mobilised and translated into development outcomes at the community level. I believe that bridging the gap between quantitative and qualitative insights is essential for a more balanced understanding of development effectiveness.
In the end, what I hope to contribute is not a general or definitive answer per se, but a more contextualised conversation, one that recognises both the limitations of aid as currently structured and the undeniable value it can offer in contexts of vulnerability and displacement, such as the Nigeria IDP settings. Given the many layers of complexities in this aid-development nexus, if my research helps to shed light on some areas and prompt further questions in other areas, then I believe it is moving in the right direction.
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