Former SNP international development minister Ben Macpherson has urged the Scottish Government to wind down its development activities in Rwanda, arguing that the country's strong economic growth no longer justifies continued aid spending. His intervention at a Holyrood committee meeting has prompted wider debate about whether Scotland's foreign aid budget should be redirected to struggling domestic services or to countries with greater need.

Scotland's international development and humanitarian response budget is currently £16 million annually across four countries, including Rwanda. Historical spending in Rwanda totalled £13.4 million between 2008 and 2014, with a further £2.8 million committed over recent years. Rwanda's economy grew by 9.4 per cent last year, nearly seven times faster than Scotland's, and has shown consistent growth since the late 1990s. Opposition politicians have backed Macpherson's comments, with Scottish Conservative finance spokesman Craig Hoy calling for the money to be spent on domestic services instead, whilst the current development minister said she will consider the proposal.