International Development Assistance (ODA) programmes managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs have received their highest ever allocation of €775.3 million for 2024.
This is less than half of Ireland’s total Official Development Assistance for 2024 which will be just under €2 billion.
Fianna Fail Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs Sean Fleming says, the Government’s policy for international development, outlined in the A Better World strategy document, provides the framework and the objective of “reaching the furthest behind first and addressing the needs of those living in some of the world’s poorest or most climate-exposed countries and those living in areas affected by conflict.”
The Government delivers this support through its bilateral development programme, channelled through Irish Embassies in relevant countries, through civil society NGO’s and humanitarian organisations, and through multilateral organisations, including the United Nations.
The information was confirmed in a reply to Independent TD Carol Nolan after she asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin to provide details of the total amount of Irish ODA budget in monetary terms received for each of the twelve listed countries in the decade 2013 and 2023, inclusive:
| €000 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Ethiopia | 34,304 | 36,198 | 35,158 | 35,476 | 36,037 | 37,301 | 39,733 | 39,677 | 40,563 | 41,189 |
| Kenya | 6,964 | 6,501 | 8,146 | 7,275 | 6,738 | 6,542 | 7,131 | 8,060 | 8,765 | 11,434 |
| Liberia | 7,282 | 6,423 | 6,915 | 3,358 | 3,926 | 4,713 | 4,017 | 4,696 | 5,879 | 6,560 |
| Malawi | 20,216 | 19,431 | 20,006 | 19,528 | 20,193 | 20,976 | 22,095 | 20,844 | 17,422 | 22,537 |
| Mozambique | 41,551 | 40,150 | 37,034 | 27,275 | 26,320 | 20,584 | 26,528 | 25,784 | 27,113 | 27,302 |
| Sierra Leone | 8,988 | 12,252 | 10,388 | 10,773 | 12,238 | 12,181 | 13,603 | 14,626 | 16,218 | 18,356 |
| South Africa | 4,723 | 4,647 | 5,797 | 5,466 | 4,102 | 4,104 | 4,534 | 4,622 | 4,812 | 4,048 |
| Tanzania | 32,731 | 24,972 | 28,700 | 25,472 | 20,143 | 24,075 | 23,025 | 22,901 | 25,195 | 24,996 |
| Uganda | 23,645 | 27,748 | 23,344 | 24,056 | 24,886 | 26,310 | 21,223 | 22,762 | 24,333 | 24,352 |
| Viet Nam | 13,006 | 12,666 | 12,644 | 14,473 | 8,583 | 9,088 | 8,329 | 7,539 | 3,631 | 4,399 |
| Zambia | 19,730 | 17,518 | 17,500 | 11,298 | 12,223 | 5,886 | 6,281 | 5,718 | 4,974 | 6,123 |
| Zimbabwe | 6,470 | 6,639 | 6,512 | 6,300 | 6,698 | 7,229 | 7,472 | 8,771 | 9,113 | 11,360 |
Gript has previously reported that Irish taxpayers gave more than €640 million in overseas aid for the 2011-2016 period to countries that ranked in the 50 worst offenders for persecuting Christians.
The then Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade released the information on funding in response to a question from Independent TD, Mattie McGrath