Examining the Relationship between Foreign Aid and Poverty Reduction in South Africa, 2015–2020
Molosiwa Ofentse ORCID ↗ · Thabang Motswaledi ORCID ↗
International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy · 2026 · Vol. 8 / Issue 5 · 206–215
Publication metrics
External links open provider records or DOI searches. Provider counts are not combined. Mendeley readership measures saves, not citations.
Dimensions
Live provider badge. If unavailable, use the Dimensions link above.
Observed 21 Oct 2026, 00:14 UTC
Observed 22 Oct 2026 04:27 UTC
OpenAlex and Mendeley observations refresh on article visits, at most once per 24 hours. Unavailable data is not zero. Google Scholar opens a DOI search.
Citations received by this article, grouped by the year of the citing work. Crossref and OpenAlex lifetime totals remain separate in Publication metrics.
2017–2026 Annual history last updated:
Citations received
OpenAlex · year of the citing work
Hover over a year or focus the chart and use arrow keys to inspect values.
2017–2026 annual-history window. 2026 is year to date. Unknown years have gaps.
View data & coverage
2026 is incomplete. Within a successfully fetched ten-year window, omitted years mean zero. Years beyond a saved observation’s window remain unknown (—). Older citations are excluded, so this chart’s sum may differ from the OpenAlex lifetime total. The date above belongs to this annual history; an unsuccessful refresh keeps the previous observation.
Abstract
Following the end of apartheid, South Africa became one of the major recipients of foreign aid in Sub-Saharan Africa. International assistance, particularly from European donor countries, was primarily directed towards supporting the democratic transition, combating the legacy of apartheid, and fostering the development of a stable, inclusive, and non-racial society. This paper examines the impact of foreign aid on poverty in South Africa between 2015 and 2020, with particular attention to its contribution to economic growth, poverty reduction, and domestic policy. Drawing on a qualitative research approach based on secondary data and thematic content analysis, the study reviews existing empirical literature and policy documents to assess the effectiveness of foreign aid in addressing poverty. The findings indicate that foreign aid can contribute to poverty reduction by supporting economic growth, improving access to public services, and supplementing domestic investment. However, its effectiveness depends largely on the presence of sound institutions, effective governance, and appropriate public policies. The study further finds that South Africa's commitment to national ownership and policy autonomy has limited the influence of external donors on domestic policy formulation and implementation. Although foreign aid has supported developmental initiatives, its relatively small contribution to the national budget constrains its overall impact on poverty reduction. The paper concludes that foreign aid can complement domestic development efforts but cannot substitute for strong institutions, inclusive economic policies, and sustained national investment in addressing poverty.
Keywords: Poverty, foreign aid, South Africa and economic development.
Authors & affiliations
Molosiwa Ofentse
North-West University
Thabang Motswaledi
North West University
Deposited references
Supplied references, not a list of publications citing this article.
No reference list supplied.