THE IMF IS BREAKING AFRICA'S ESSENTIAL SERVICES

Across Africa, essential public workers are facing a deepening crisis, caught between shrinking incomes and rising living costs. African Stream spoke exclusively with Ashina Mtsumi, Coordinator for Tax and Education Alliance at ActionAid, uncovering how IMF-driven austerity policies are pushing millions of Africans into poverty.

ActionAid's recent report reveals the staggering reality: 84% of teachers and 97% of healthcare workers across Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Ghana, and Liberia can no longer meet basic living needs due to massive public spending cuts. Families face impossible choices - children are forced out of school because their parents can’t afford fees, while teachers manage classrooms with up to 200 students, lacking basic teaching materials and adequate income.

The fallout disproportionately burdens women and girls, adding an additional 20 to 28 hours per week of unpaid care duties. Critical maternal healthcare programs, like Kenya's Linda Mama, are facing devastating reductions, endangering the lives of mothers and newborns.

Ashina emphasizes that these hardships aren't accidental - they result from policies imposed by institutions like the IMF, which prioritize debt repayments over the well-being of ordinary Africans. Africa’s economic struggles are compounded by Western-based credit rating agencies that label African countries as risky, perpetuating a cycle of debt and crisis.

There's an urgent call for reform. Despite being home to 54 countries, Africa collectively holds only three seats on the IMF board, leaving the continent with little voice in the very decisions that shape its economic future. This imbalance reinforces a global financial system that serves the interests of wealthy nations and international bankers over the basic rights of ordinary Africans.

What’s needed is a new financial architecture that puts people before profits, empowers nations to fund public services, and restores African control over its own economic destiny. It's time for Africa to reclaim economic sovereignty and dignity.