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Luchuo Engelbert Bain Critiques Power Dynamics in Global Health and Development

Luchuo Engelbert Bain/luchuoengelbertbain.com

May 26, 2025, 11:02

Luchuo Engelbert Bain Critiques Power Dynamics in Global Health and Development

Luchuo Engelbert Bain, Head of International Programs at African Population and Health Research Center, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“There Is No Gift in Global Health, International Development, or Scholarship.

Nothing is free in international development, global health, or international scholarship. Behind every fellowship, every grant, every “capacity building” program lies a complex web of power, influence, and negotiated return.

International students from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) pay staggering fees to universities in the UK, US, and Canada — often between $20,000 and $60,000 per year. These revenues fuel entire university departments, subsidize domestic students, and sustain global prestige rankings.

Scholarships? Yes, they exist — but they often come with conditions that shape narratives, reinforce donor agendas, or create long-term dependencies. Soft diplomacy is woven through it all. Scholarships and aid programs are not acts of altruism; they are tools of influence.

Behind the scenes, countries negotiating aid packages are also brokering mineral deals, trade agreements, and geopolitical footholds. When a mining giant from a donor country secures access to African cobalt, lithium, or gold, it is rarely disconnected from the aid flows or diplomatic ties the country cultivates.

Even in the skies, Low and Middle Income Countries are paying. International airlines earn billions flying in and out of Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia — yet many of these profits rarely stay in local economies. The infrastructure, labor, and consumer base often benefit external shareholders far more than local populations.

We can no longer afford the hypocritical naivety of seeing global health or development as charity. This age demands realism.

It is time for Low and Middle Income Country actors to approach every negotiation, every partnership, every grant with clear eyes and strategic intent. Equity will not come from goodwill; it must be claimed through sharp negotiation, local agency, and unapologetic demands for fair returns.

There are no gifts — only deals. Let’s start acting like it.”

Luchuo Engelbert Bain delivered a critical analysis of international aid and scholarship systems, arguing that global health and development must be viewed through the lens of strategic negotiation rather than altruism. He emphasized the need for low- and middle-income countries to assert agency and demand equitable terms in all global partnerships.

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