Official development assistance is in freefall. Major donors such as France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States all cut their aid budget recently, and plan to cut further in 2025. It’s a historic moment: For the first time in decades, all four are pulling back at the same time, leaving many developing countries facing steep declines in support.
The pain will be felt unevenly, but sub-Saharan Africa is in the bullseye. Countries such as Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo have long been among the largest aid recipients. And with USAID, once the world’s biggest aid agency, now dismantled, longstanding channels of assistance are breaking down even further.
The way the U.S. aid reductions were delivered — abruptly, with little coordination with national governments or implementing partners and NGOs — was undeniably brutal. But it’s also sparking a different conversation — one that’s surprisingly pragmatic. While many in the aid industry reacted to the cuts with alarm, some African leaders and analysts saw a silver lining: A chance, however painful, to break free of old dependencies and push governments to finally set their own priorities.