British Council to close offices in nine countries to survive financial problems
The British Council will close offices in nine countries including Mozambique and Tanzania, becoming the latest international development organization to shrink its global footprint amid a wider contraction in aid funding.
The organisation, which underpins the UK’s cultural influence abroad, said it had received £40m of non-aid funding over the next three years, avoiding what it described as a “worst case scenario” in which up to 40 per cent of its overseas network could close.
The decision follows years of financial trouble for the British Council, which uses cultural exchange, education and English language programs to build relationships while delivering UK-funded development projects. The Covid-19 pandemic has devastated the company’s business income from English teaching and exams; This has since required a government loan, which has risen to £197 million.
Under the Spending Review agreement, the British Council said it would receive an additional £40 million in non-ODA funding over the next three years. But he still said it needed to reduce its presence abroad in order to be “modern, efficient and sustainable”.
But a British Council spokesman said it would end its permanent presence in nine countries, including the closure of its offices and the withdrawal of staff, in response to “the financial challenges we continue to face”. Independent.
They said the decision followed a review of operating costs, UK government priorities, growth opportunities and the lifespan of existing contracts and partnerships.
Seven of these countries were identified as Botswana, Chile, Croatia, Mozambique, Peru, Tanzania and Trinidad and Tobago. Six receive aid funding from the UK, while Croatia is funded separately. These were chosen after careful consideration of a range of factors, including operational costs, UK government priorities and revenue generation potential, the spokesman said.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) argued that impact need not depend on physical presence. “One mistake I think we could make is conflating physical presence with impact,” said Nick Dyer, the ministry’s interim permanent undersecretary. He told the MPs last week.
“We need to focus on the outcome we want to achieve, which is increased confidence in Britain. Can we achieve this with a digital presence as well as a physical presence? That’s the challenge we face now as so much of the market moves online. We need to test that and tackle that as we progress through this turnaround plan,” Mr Dyer said.
The British Council said it would continue to deliver development programs and receive the same level of official development assistance funding as in previous years, but declined to say whether it was likely to see further cuts or closures.
“We are currently reviewing the impacts of the Spending Review on our programs; we have nothing further to share at this stage,” the spokesman said.
The closures come as international aid agencies grapple with the sharpest decline in official development aid in years after many major donors, including Britain and the United States, cut spending abroad to prioritize domestic budgets and defence.
His impact is already being felt on the ground; UN Women warned this week that at least one million women and girls have lost access to critical services after aid cuts forced organizations to scale back or close programmes.
Support for survivors of gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health, legal aid and livelihood programs have been affected, leaving women’s organizations unable to meet demand.
This article was produced as part of The Independent. Rethinking Global Aid project
