Key facts
- US withdrawal from aid programs strains African healthcare, a report warns.
- Africa produces less than 1% of its vaccines but carries 25% of the global disease burden.
- External health financing for Africa contracted by nearly 70% between 2021 and 2025.
- US aid cuts to South Africa's HIV/Aids relief program left 1.4 million people facing treatment uncertainty.
- Ghana lost $78 million due to the closure of USAID programs.
The United States' withdrawal from key aid programs has placed healthcare in Africa and the Global South under significant strain, according to a new report titled "A Sovereign Future For Health." The report, authored by the Accra Reset initiative led by former Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, argues for greater self-determination in health development for countries in these regions, reducing reliance on Western aid.
The report highlights that Africa produces less than 1% of its vaccines while bearing approximately 25% of the global disease burden. It points to abrupt changes in global health financing, such as the US withdrawal from initiatives like the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar), as forcing recipient countries to urgently restructure their finances.
External financing for health in Africa reportedly contracted by nearly 70% between 2021 and 2025. The dissolution of USAID by the Trump administration led Nigeria to absorb 28,000 health workers previously employed by the agency at a cost of $200 million. In South Africa, the withdrawal of Pepfar funding, which had provided over $400 million annually, resulted in the closure of HIV clinics and uncertainty for 1.4 million people living with HIV.
Mahama stated that Ghana lost $78 million from the closure of USAID programs, which impacted maternal healthcare, malaria treatment, nutrition, and HIV/Aids interventions. These funding cuts have caused severe disruption globally, as noted at the 26th International Aids Conference. The report emphasizes that donor dependency is unsustainable and advocates for a shift in how aid is provided, with donor countries supporting country-led transitions and priorities.
Recent polling commissioned by the Rockefeller Foundation suggests that a majority of US adults support restoring disease prevention aid and international cooperation, even if it requires compromising some national interests.