British assistance: UK opposition upset over use of funds

Pakistan uses aid to promote mobile banking.

Millions of pounds of British aid money have been spent on helping Pakistanis manage their bank accounts on their mobile phones, according to a report published in The Daily Mail.

Ministers revealed that taxpayers’ cash had gone to firms in Pakistan and Kenya, which allowed customers to monitor their accounts on their mobile phones, rather than having to go to a bank.

The coalition was in support of the funding, saying that more than one billion people in developing countries had a mobile phone, but didn’t have a bank account.

According to them, the move will encourage new businesses to thrive in such countries, and will not only stimulate the economy, but also reduce reliance on more traditional forms of aid.

But Tory backbenchers, already angry that the aid budget is being increased, while nearly every other department faced spending cuts, will question the spending.

UK spends more on international development than any other country as part of a Coalition target to spend 0.7 per cent of national income on aid.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2011.