The withdrawal of USAID and other NGOs from the health sector in Africa has had significant and far-reaching effects.
Many health facilities have shut down or reduced services, affecting HIV treatment, maternal and child health, and pharmaceutical supply chains. In Kenya, access to HIV treatment, maternal medicine, and contraceptives has plunged in some counties.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned this could lead to disease outbreaks and growing hunger.
The economic impact is severe, with aid cuts potentially reducing Gross National Income (GNI) by over 1% in 23 African economies. Eight nations face losses of 3% or more.
Millions face food insecurity, and food aid services have closed, exacerbating hunger. In South Sudan, mothers and children have died after losing access to life-saving HIV medication.
Many NGOs have reduced staff or ceased activities, decreasing services to beneficiaries. In Cameroon, NGOs saw a 40-70% decrease in external funding, affecting food aid, healthcare, and education.
The focus on sustainable financing is critical with co-funding models in complimentary efforts between NGOs and Governments to sustain essential initiatives. It is important for African governments to increase domestic health funding and reclaim public health management from NGOs. There is need for zero tolerance to corruption with the wasted resources being channeled to the most important development initiatives on which human survival depends.
Governments in Africa have capacity to sustain themselves away from dependency on donors and unsustainable loans from Breton wood institutions.
Rwanda is a good example of maintaining staffing levels and health services through sustained public investment and other African Governments can follow this example.
Please read and share this story in the Atlantic it matters that people know what's happening:
