The Withdrawal of Global Aid from Afghanistan; Ashraf Ghani’s Warning: “By 2047, We Will Be Self-Sufficient or Destroyed”
Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, the former president of Afghanistan, recently warned in a podcast titled "The Way of Life" that "international development aid will be completely halted within the next 10 years." He emphasized that developed countries, due to emerging global crises (from climate change to wars), will no longer be able to continue financially supporting Afghanistan.
Weezha Roz-Kabul– Ghani claimed that if Afghanistan does not take immediate action to save its unfinished infrastructure projects (such as dams, roads, and energy networks), “golden development opportunities will be lost.”
– Suspension of $230 million in USAID aid in 2024 and the expulsion of its staff.
– Closure of 18 UNICEF health centers due to budget cuts.
– 23 million Afghans (according to UN statistics) rely on international food and health aid.
Donald Trump’s 2020 decision to dissolve USAID and completely halt U.S. development aid marked the beginning of the reduction in foreign assistance.
The UN warns that “without global support, Afghanistan will face widespread famine and the collapse of its healthcare system.”
Ghani urged the Afghan people to work toward creating “a national consensus” and to set clear goals for self-sufficiency by 2047, the 300th anniversary of modern Afghanistan’s founding.
He proposed:
1. Establishing a “Supreme Development Council” composed of domestic and diaspora elites.
2. Focusing on the mining economy (gold, copper, lithium) and renewable energy.
3. Rebuilding the education system with an emphasis on technical skills.
Critics say: “The previous Ghani government was the very one that made Afghanistan dependent on aid; how can it now be the savior?”
Afghan citizens express concern: “We’re still caught up in power struggles; when do we have time for development?”
If aid is cut off, Afghanistan may become “the largest humanitarian crisis of the century.”
Ghani claims: “The path to salvation lies in relying on domestic resources and national unity. The world is facing its own crises; our window of opportunity is limited.”
Ghani’s Way of Life podcast is released weekly on digital platforms and has a large audience among young Afghans.
International humanitarian organizations have called for the immediate resumption of aid to Afghanistan.
Weezha Roz
