The President of Mozambique is President of one of the poorest countries in the world and getting poorer.

It’s a noisy and affair when he goes to work from his home, built by the Portuguese, to his palatial offices, recently renovated by the Chinese – about a kilometre away. The acacia and jacaranda trees on the avenue seem to sway their leaves in deference as the manifestation of pomp passes by.

There are traffic policemen in crisp white shirts and blue trousers at each junction with walkie-talkies pressed to their ears. Two police outriders on large white motorbikes lead the way with sirens wailing and lights revolving and flashing; there follows a police car with more flashing lights and loudspeakers telling people to clear the way – the voice becomes angrier as it repeats itself; there follows four or five large black Mercedes cars with tinted windows, one of which has two letters on a red registration plate: PM. There follows an open pick-up truck with armed soldiers; finally, bringing up the rear is an old ambulance trying its best to keep in touch. Speed appears to be essential!

Behind the tinted windows of car PM (President of Mozambique) sits one of the, reputedly, richest men in Mozambique, possibly in Africa. He is small, bespectacled, with grizzled grey hair and a grimace trying to be a smile. He fought in the war of independence and is called 24/24; he gave the Portuguese 24 hours to leave with a maximum of 24 kilos of luggage. He and his family have serious business interests in every single important sector of the economy.

 It seems surprising that impoverished countries want to spend their money on this kind of pomp when so many of their people are living in misery. That is their business you may say but, in this instance, it is our business as well.

 Almost half of the Mozambican’s Government budget used to come from 19 international donors – in the form of direct budgetary aid of up to 50%, until the $2 billion secret‑debt scandal—uncovered only because it touched the US banking system—shows how deeply the country was mired in corruption and had been captured by elite politicians and criminal networks.

There is something curious, even faintly ridiculous, seeing western aid money paying for some of this extravagant sound and light show organised by this very rich man in this country riddled from top to bottom by corruption.

Mozambique shows how foreign aid, instead of helping the poor, can bankroll a corrupt ruling elite, prop up a hollow state, and keep a looted country staggering forward while donors congratulate themselves for fixing nothing.