Closure of USAID bleeding out many jobs in USA
OPINION LEADER: Hopewell Chin'ono
By Hopewell Chin’ono
Many of my followers are asking why the shutdown of USAID is leading to job losses in America outside the U.S. government.
Two days ago, I mentioned that the majority of USAID money remained in America as it was used to buy American goods and services.
The American government would also pay subsidies to farmers to grow corn (chibage). With the shutdown of USAID, those farmers are letting their workers go, so the massive effect of the shutdown is being felt in all of America too, through federal (government) and private sector job losses.
When America gives money to Ukraine, most of it is used in America to buy weapons and other goods and services. Some of the American companies affected are now retrenching their workers for that reason.
Many of the victims of this slash-and-burn policy actually voted for Donald Trump, oblivious to what it would do to their personal interests, so they are getting what they ordered. They did not pay attention to what the policies being shouted at Trump’s rallies would actually do or mean for their existence.
It was just emotion and vibe. Sadly, African countries have not yet weaned themselves off Western aid, unlike Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, and many others after the Second World War. These countries received aid, including through the Marshall Plan that we studied in high school, but because they were led by competent leaders, they did not throw a self-pity party.
They used the aid to get themselves on their feet again and move on. Today, they are some of the strongest economies on earth, yet after more than 60 years of independence, Africa still has its begging bowl out, pleading for scraps.
Africans vote for charismatic but hopelessly incompetent leaders who do not know how to turn around a country’s fortunes except loot! Africans love buffoons and political theatre, and they would kill for those political buffoons.
It is not just bad leadership that has derailed Africa, but also a terrible mindset across the continent. A man or woman with a real plan will lose an election in Africa because a fake prophet has told their congregation to vote for a useless, fake, Bible-waving politician on the grounds that the prophet had a vision from God.
And they believe that nonsense. That is why fake prophets like Walter Magaya and Bushiri remain relevant in African politics and discourse today. Put simply, Africans are still developing. In most countries on the continent, citizens have not reached the mental maturity to vote based on policies and tangible action plans; they vote for charisma and empty rhetoric without questioning election promises.
They are loyal to a person not a cause! It is so bad in Zimbabwe that the ruling party, ZANUPF, did not even bother to put out a manifesto in the last election.
Instead of being loyal to their own interests and understanding that only interests should remain permanent, Africans are loyal to politicians, even when there is overwhelming evidence that those politicians are vacuous.
They will not vote for a man or woman who wants to build a hospital for them, but they will vote for one who has given them a pack of rice and beer, then wait for Western aid to feed them when hunger strikes.
How do you explain a continent that still begs for antiretroviral medicines 40 years since the discovery of antiretrovirals? Many African politicians are HIV positive, yet they do not care about their citizens as long as they get their medication. Africa needs an enlightenment revolution, where Africans of substance direct our economic and strategic conversations about the continent’s future, not social media influencers and fake prophets.
Our people dance and sing for politicians who have authored their demise, many of whom have no idea what needs to be done. At least Western countries and a few African nations like South Africa have strong institutions that political elites cannot override.
The rest of the continent does not. It is an embarrassing mess.
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