Aid dependency is not just about donors

Kyawt Kay Thi Win argues that the Myanmar government and local organisations have a responsibility to stop Myanmar from becoming aid dependent.

From my perspective, being an aid dependent country mostly depends on the government and local organisations.

When funding agencies want to introduce new programs, they first have to meet and discuss with government. For some, they want to directly work with local organizations.

Here, the role of government and local organizations is very important. They need to discuss with the funding agencies about the program that they want to have - as most of the programs come with complete surveys, data and designs.

Some proposed programs from funding agencies are really needed in Myanmar. However, some others might be overlapping. If this happens, there will be waste for all.

Electrification plans for Myanmar is an example of this. JICA, World Bank and ADB all have their own master plans for electrification of the country but from Ministry of Energy and Electric Power (two former ministries ) there is no clear leading role. And the movement of those three master plans into one is being delayed.

So, who will be responsible in this? This is an example.

Weak organizational management in the country brings the same issues.

So, in a word, in order not to be an aid dependent country, government and local organisations need to be SMART and COLLABORATIVE. They need to know what the country needs from them.

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