‘People’s Commission of Inquiry’ Echoes Africa’s Rejection of IMF and World Bank Policies
Freetown, Sierra Leone- Malawi recently played host to a landmark moment in Africa’s quest for economic justice, as the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) convened a People’s Commission of Inquiry that sent a clear and resounding message: Africans are rejecting the crippling policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
Led by a coalition of civil society actors, economists and affected citizens, the commission sought to hold the IMF and World Bank accountable for decades of policy prescriptions that have, in many African countries, deepened poverty, eroded public services, and undermined sovereignty.
According to Dr. Lyla Latif, Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and Chair of the Committee on Fiscal Studies, the inquiry is rooted in empirical evidence and case studies from across the continent—Tunisia, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Angola, and Malawi. These examples, she argued, show how IMF and World Bank policies have systematically extracted wealth from Africa under the guise of economic reforms.
“These economically and fiscally engineered policies,” Dr. Latif stated, “have led to revenue degeneration and weakened our social infrastructure. The voices of African people must guide the recommendations, and policy shifts we need from these institutions.”
In a heartfelt testimony, 17-year-old Rachel Ngulube of Malawi questioned the morality of a global financial system that forces African children to suffer under the same debt burdens as wealthier nations, yet without equal access to healthcare or education. “Why are we still trapped in poverty despite these loans? Because these debts serve the interests of foreign industries, not African futures,” she said.
From the Democratic Republic of Congo, journalist Lydie Asimwe Makuru painted a grim picture of IMF-induced austerity. “Public hospitals are like mortuaries. My father, a public servant, died in one. Doctors are unpaid, hospitals are unfunded, and patients must pay for everything.”
This commission marks more than just resistance. It is a bold, people-led demand for debt justice, accountability, and a reimagined path to development, one that centres African voices, protects African children and secures a future free from the chains of neo-colonial financial dependency.