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(Image: Participants at the event)
Residents of Adaka community, in Benue State, have called for reforms to the international sovereign debt system, urging world leaders and international creditors to adopt fairer lending policies that would enable developing countries to invest more in healthcare, education and other essential public services.
The call was made during a community advocacy programme organised by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Nigeria, where residents, community leaders and advocacy groups decried the growing burden of debt servicing on African economies, saying it continues to divert scarce resources away from critical development needs.
At the event, President of Advocacy Club Adaka, Mr. Moses Usuwe, said developing countries, particularly in Africa, continue to pay disproportionately higher interest rates on loans than wealthier nations despite facing greater development challenges.
According to him, the imbalance has left many governments spending more on servicing external debts than on healthcare, education and infrastructure.
“We are advocating freedom from unjust debt burdens. African countries pay higher interest rates than developed nations, and that is unfair. There should be equity in the global lending system so governments can invest more in improving the lives of their citizens,” Usuwe said.
He outlined three key demands by the community: the establishment of a Borrowers’ Forum to enable developing countries negotiate collectively with international creditors, the allocation of one per cent of global Artificial Intelligence (AI) revenues to fund education, healthcare and infrastructure across
Africa, and the automatic suspension of debt repayments whenever countries are hit by disasters or pandemics. “When countries experience floods, disease outbreaks like COVID-19 or Ebola, or any other major disaster, debt repayment should be suspended until they recover.”
Also speaking, community advocate Mrs. Richesl Uzo called for debt repayment moratoriums during public health emergencies and climate-related disasters, arguing that governments should be allowed to prioritise emergency response over external debt obligations.
Another advocate, Mr. Abel Anule, urged major AI companies to dedicate one per cent of their profits to supporting healthcare, education and social infrastructure in developing countries.
Public Relations Officer of Advocacy Club Adaka, Mrs. Eunice Idoko, linked Nigeria’s debt servicing obligations to the poor state of infrastructure in rural communities.
She regretted that women and children in the community often spend between four and five hours daily searching for water, a situation that also affects school attendance.
“If government spends less on debt servicing because interest rates are reduced, more resources can be invested in critical infrastructure such as potable water,” she said.
Explaining the rationale behind the campaign, AHF Nigeria’s Senior Advocacy and Marketing Manager, Mr. Steve Aborisade, said the organisation established community advocacy clubs to empower residents to identify development challenges and engage governments constructively.
He noted that many developing countries are trapped by inequitable loan conditions that leave governments with limited fiscal space to improve public services.
According to him, creating a Borrowers’ Forum would strengthen the bargaining power of developing nations and help secure fairer loan terms.
“If we negotiate collectively, we can push for lower interest rates. That would free up resources for governments to invest in healthcare, education, roads, water and other critical services.”
Aborisade also advocated automatic debt repayment pauses during emergencies, saying governments battling pandemics, floods or other disasters should be allowed to focus on saving lives rather than servicing loans.
He further called on governments and leading AI companies to commit one per cent of AI revenues to debt relief and investments in public health, education and social protection.
Highlighting the urgency of the campaign, Aborisade cited data showing that about 3.4 billion people live in countries that spend more on debt repayments than on health or education, while two out of every three African countries spend more on debt interest than on healthcare.
“Africa is not poor; it is being drained. We are not asking for debt cancellation. We are asking for fairer repayment terms that leave room for development and improve the lives of ordinary people,” he said.
The traditional ruler of Mbagbaange community, Chief Nicholas Angbianshio, commended AHF Nigeria for empowering rural communities to advocate for improved development policies, urging the organisation to sustain its interventions across the country.
