How can we decolonialise international aid following the Band Aid controversy?

It is more than four decades since Bob Geldof assembled a musical supergroup to fight famine with the charity single, Do They Know It’s Christmas?

Since then, the Band Aid Charitable Trust has raised nearly £150 million for life-saving projects. However, the decision to re-release the song to mark its 40^th anniversary sparked controversy.

Ed Sheeran – who appeared on an earlier re-recording of the song – was among the stars who sought to distance themselves from the track and the negative image it helped to perpetuate of Africa as a barren continent full of starving, helpless people.

The response is symbolic of a wider shift within humanitarian aid and international development. We are more conscious of the power imbalances that exist and it is no longer taboo to discuss them.

Despite this, there is a danger that decolonisation and localisation could become empty buzzwords unless the gap between theory and practice is addressed.

Many organisations have ambitious goals for localising their spending, but transformative change is unlikely if they cannot change their practices.

This begins with asking deeper questions. Have work norms changed? Have grant application and compliance systems been made inclusive?

How attempts at localisation can backfire

It is important to recognise that the pursuit of effectiveness and efficiency can exacerbate inequality.

For example, impact evaluations can marginalise millions of small non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who struggle to compete with well-resourced organisations in the Global North.

Another key question is, who leads the localisation agenda?

History shows that previous change movements led by the sector’s power brokers have often been diluted by managerial control.

When that happens, localisation risks becoming a box-ticking exercise that camouflages control with a veneer of equality.

Initiatives such as knowledge sharing and strategic partnerships can even increase the power of large organisations, transferring risk to stakeholders in the Global South without the strategic, operational, or financial independence to manage it.

To overcome this, it is critically important that international actors relinquish their ‘old power’ as gatekeepers of the humanitarian club and learn new ways of working.

1 Define localisation

Localisation should be defined and pursued as a transformative shift from existing norms.

Generic definitions that highlight broadly positive outcomes, such as “increasing international investment and respect for local actors”, fall short because they do not acknowledge the legacy of colonialism in aid.

Unless we acknowledge that legacy, we risk reinforcing the very structures of power that localisation aims to dismantle.

A robust working definition of localisation should recognise it as an effort to “correct the historical exclusion of local actors in decision-making and funding”.

This frames localisation as a fundamental shift of power, rather than a technical adjustment.

2 Make agendas truly inclusive

Localisation and decolonisation aim to benefit actors in the Global South, but are often led by international donors and international NGOs based in the Global North.

These organisations may have good intentions, but their dominance undermines the heart of localisation and decolonialisation.

For this agenda to succeed, it is imperative to include diverse voices from the Global South and to elevate those who will be most affected by any initiatives.

This means creating spaces where local actors can lead the dialogue on what localisation should look like and how it can be implemented.

Putting local views and knowledge centre-stage also helps to avoid top-down, one-size-fits-all solutions by ensuring that any initiatives are sensitive to the local context.

3 Make power visible

Shifting power to groups that have been largely excluded from the decision-making process is essential for a more equitable and effective humanitarian sector.

For this to happen, we need to be acutely aware of how power operates within existing structures.

Power can be useful, helping people to build skills, generate funds, or strengthen alliances.

However, problems arise when it is used in ways that are negative, exclusive, bureaucratic, overly commercial, or outright toxic.

That power is often invisible and indirectly enforced through entrenched organisational practices such as agenda setting, project design, monitoring, and evaluation.

These can perpetuate existing power imbalances if they are not critically examined and reformed to genuinely include local actors.

Reflecting on power and talking about it sensitively with stakeholders are the first steps towards making power visible.

Only then can power relations be used to boost localisation efforts.

4 Create communities of practice

Learning from localisation initiatives is crucial to drive meaningful change. Communities of practice that span different levels – from donors to international and local NGOs – can foster an environment that prioritises knowledge sharing, collaboration, and experimentation.

This collective approach bridges the gap between diverse organisations and fosters mutual understanding. It also facilitates better practice, innovation, and stakeholder alignment.

Provide room for experimentation – innovative approaches often emerge from trying new methods.

By embedding a culture of experimentation and learning, the sector can ensure that localisation efforts are effective, sustainable, and responsive to the evolving needs of communities.

This holistic approach will ultimately make localisation a more integral and impactful aspect of our work.

Localisation should be viewed as a more effective way of addressing real issues in the field, not just a more ethical approach.

Existing evidence shows how local knowledge has helped international NGOs to develop more effective humanitarian action.

For example, oral histories passed down through generations have been used to predict and manage risks in Vanuatu.

Similarly, community-led evaluations helped reshape shelter programmes to better meet the needs of displaced households in Nigeria.

Such achievements require involvement of local community organisations as well as national NGOs in the early stages of programme design.

These examples don’t just highlight what’s possible – they reveal what’s been missing elsewhere.

Involving partners in the Global South

One thing is clear: if we take the need for decolonisation seriously, we are only at the beginning of the journey.

We need more reflection on the ‘destination’ in dialogue with a diverse range of stakeholders. But let’s not forget the importance of prioritising tangible change, not just ideas.

We need to share how localisation efforts work in different geographic locations, different forms of aid, and different work processes such as compliance and evaluation.

We also need alternative infrastructures for thinking and acting, not through Gantt charts and old logical frameworks, but by brokering change, creating frameworks for talking about power, and building momentum through decolonial successes such as locally led funders.

Most importantly, we need to involve Global South institutions and partners at all levels.

This article is adapted from a blog originally published by Bond.

Further reading:

Involving marginalised communities in sustainability initiatives

How sustainable is your chocolate advent calendar?

Six ways businesses can maximise social impact

Do scandals really affect a company's reputation?

Hamid Foroughi is Associate Professor of Responsible Management. He teaches Organisation Behaviour on the Global Online MBA, Global Online MBA (London), and Executive MBA (London).

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