Free government money is never free, especially if you actually want to invest and build for the long term (rather than a short-lived Potemkin Village).

"Instead of solving the problem, the people in charge are trying to cover the problem up just long enough to win reelection."

Twenty years ago, that was true. Now I don't see many Western political leaders using a planning horizon longer than "announcement at next week's press conference".

And there are no consequences for failure, the worst outcome is speaking fees, book tours, and a sinecure at some NGO.