The Impact and Sustainability of UK Aid Programmes and Projects

This chapter assesses the UK aid projects in Kenya, Nepal, and Nigeria against the last two OECD evaluation criteria—impact and sustainability. While some projects successfully attained their intended goals, such as enhancing communities’ disaster response capabilities or infrastructure development, more frequently anticipated changes did not materialise due to factors such as insufficient funding or inadequate government and community support. Even the positive changes achieved were often jeopardised in the long run after project funding ran out. Notably, DFID/FCDO documents tended to downplay these realities, hindering the incorporation of lessons learned from project shortcomings into subsequent implementations. The chapter also highlights adverse effects, both from specific aid projects like those targeting electricity or education privatisation and from the broader ‘aid industry’, on the political economy and public institutions of recipient countries.