The Swedish embassies in Bolivia, Liberia and Zimbabwe will be closed. The closure is expected to be completed in 2026, announced Minister of Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa at a press conference.
Aid to the three countries will be phased out by August 31 next year. In addition, aid to Tanzania and Mozambique will be phased out during the same period.
Dousa describes it as the biggest change in aid "ever in Sweden's history".
For too long, Swedish aid has been too scattered, it has been a water dispenser, he says.
Increases to Ukraine
The government has previously announced that the aid budget will be reduced from SEK 56 to 53 billion in 2026. It is also known that aid will be reprioritized to focus on Ukraine.
According to Dousa, aid to Ukraine will increase to at least 10 billion kronor next year, which according to him is close to 20 percent of Sweden's total aid.
He says that Sweden must therefore prioritize, and that this is such a priority.
The money has to come from somewhere to balance the budget.
Today's announcement is expected to free up SEK 2 billion over the next two years for Ukraine.
According to Dousa, aid to some African countries has not always had the effect the government wanted. He believes that the aid has sometimes been downright harmful, mentioning Tanzania, among others, which has received Swedish aid since 1962.
In the name of honesty, let's be blunt about the fact that several countries, especially in Africa, have built in a dependency on aid, which may have led to them not reforming themselves as much as we would have liked to see.
But he also admits that much of the aid that is now being withdrawn has been important to many people in the various countries.
Our task is to make the tough decisions needed to be able to provide more resources to Ukraine, he says.
UN warned
The US has made dramatic cuts in aid in the past year and the UN has warned that many people in Africa are missing out on HIV prevention efforts.
According to Dousa, however, there is a difference between the Swedish turnaround in aid policy and the cuts that the US made this spring.
We continue to be very large donors to the humanitarian system, from aid to AIDS prevention and other important health interventions, things that literally save lives. That will not be affected by this.
Niklas Svahn/TT
Johanna Ekström/TT
Facts: This is how much aid the countries received last year
TT
Tanzania: SEK 516.5 million.
Mozambique: 795.9 million SEK.
Zimbabwe: 336.5 million kronor.
Liberia: 336.6 million kronor
Bolivia: 163.1 million SEK.
Source: Page
La Paz, Bolivia
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimates that around 60 Swedes live in the country. The embassy employs 16 people, four from Swedish authorities and 12 local employees.
Monrovia, Liberia
It is estimated that around 30 Swedes live in the country. The embassy employs 23 people, eight of whom are seconded from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Sida and 15 are local employees.
Harare, Zimbabwe
Approximately 30 Swedes live in the country. The embassy employs 22 people, eight of whom are seconded and 14 are local employees.
Source: Government Offices
