Impact of International Aid Cuts on African Communities

Image Credit: Lagos Food Bank Initiative on PexelsThe United States is cutting nearly all foreign aid, with sub-Saharan Africa being the most affected region, losing billions of dollars in funding that previously supported health, humanitarian, and development programs. The Donald Trump administration’s decision to cut 90 percent of US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) foreign aid contracts has halted programs that provided food aid to millions, supported health care systems, and fought diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria.

An article from The New York Times outlined some of what sub-Saharan Africa will lose, finding that cuts will likely lead to severe consequences, including mass famine in Sudan, the collapse of HIV treatment programs in countries like South Africa and the Ivory Coast, and millions of additional malaria and polio cases.