Decolonising aid architecture: a postcolonial critique of donor practices in West Africa

This paper examines how contemporary aid practices in West Africa continue to reflect colonial legacies and external priorities, often at the expense of locally defined needs. It analyses the interplay between donor strategies, institutional structures, and African responses through a postcolonial political economy lens. The study shows how formal reforms, including the Paris Declaration and the African Peer Review Mechanism, have struggled to overcome entrenched asymmetries in agenda-setting and decision-making. At the same time, African actors such as regional bodies, national governments, and civil society organisations are negotiating greater influence within development partnerships. The paper proposes practical reforms to strengthen African agency, including aligning aid with continental and ECOWAS frameworks, expanding regional funding mechanisms, and empowering local institutions. It argues that decolonising aid architecture requires reforming the terms of cooperation to centre African ownership and reshape how power, knowledge, and priorities are negotiated in development practice.