Does foreign aid create a culture of dependence?

Burundi’s economy has been battered: first by years of conflict, then Covid-19. And so the World Bank has stepped in and provided $40 million in aid – with another $150 million still to come.

Hundreds of thousands of the poorest households will receive cash – with some targeted at setting up new businesses. So, can Burundi strike a balance between handouts and hand-ups? And can the people receiving the aid eventually become self-reliant?

For today’s Africa Daily, Mpho Lakaje discusses this question, as well as speaking to one of the recipients of the money about how it’s changed her life.