How much aid goes to central Africa?

Central Africa, also called Middle Africa, is one of the main recipients of official development assistance, or ODA. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, classifies these countries as part of the region: • Angola • Cameroon • Central African Republic • Chad • Republic of Congo • Democratic Republic of Congo • Equatorial Guinea • Gabon • São Tomé and Príncipe The region is home to the Congo Basin. It is the world’s second-largest river basin. Within it lies the Congo River system, which dominates the whole region. It is also home to the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest. Despite the vast and beautiful wildlife, the region is plagued by conflict and crises, and is in need of aid. The Democratic Republic of Congo is currently undergoing a humanitarian crisis on top of escalating violence. Cameroon is also in a crisis. The Norwegian Refugee Council reports that Cameroon has had three complex crises ongoing for a long time, one of which is a displacement crisis due to resource insecurities. In Chad, meanwhile, tensions are rising due to rebel movements within the country. These crises are just the tip of the iceberg. So is the region getting the support it needs? In order to find out, we used the creditor reporting system from the OECD. We also utilized the country development finance data from the International Aid Transparency Initiative, or IATI. The figures presented are in 2023 constant prices unless stated otherwise. Unlike other Devex analyses, ODA data is not provided in grant-equivalent format, the OECD’s normal preferred measure, because region-specific data is not available in that format. Given the uncertain nature of future contributions from the United States, we will also present figures that do not include its contribution. From 2019 to 2023, the central African region received a total of $17.7 billion in ODA. In 2023 alone, the region received $3.7 billion, which is a slight increase compared to $3.4 billion in 2022. Overall, aid levels were consistent in the region. <div class='tableauPlaceholder' id='viz1760950372636' style='position: relative'><noscript><a href='#'><img alt='Dashboard 1 ' src='https:&#47;&#47;public.tableau.com&#47;static&#47;images&#47;Mi&#47;MiddleAfricaODA-YearonYear&#47;Dashboard1&#47;1_rss.png' style='border: none' /></a></noscript><object class='tableauViz' style='display:none;'><param name='host_url' value='https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2F' /> <param name='embed_code_version' value='3' /> <param name='site_root' value='' /><param name='name' value='MiddleAfricaODA-YearonYear&#47;Dashboard1' /><param name='tabs' value='no' /><param name='toolbar' value='yes' /><param name='static_image' value='https:&#47;&#47;public.tableau.com&#47;static&#47;images&#47;Mi&#47;MiddleAfricaODA-YearonYear&#47;Dashboard1&#47;1.png' /> <param name='animate_transition' value='yes' /><param name='display_static_image' value='yes' /><param name='display_spinner' value='yes' /><param name='display_overlay' value='yes' /><param name='display_count' value='yes' /><param name='language' value='en-US' /><param name='filter' value='publish=yes' /></object></div><param name='device' value='desktop' /><param name='showShareOptions' value='false' /> <script type='text/javascript'> var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1760950372636'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 800 ) { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 500 ) { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height='727px';} var scriptElement = document.createElement('script'); scriptElement.src = 'https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js'; vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement); </script> <i style=font-style: georgia;”>Year-on-year comparison of ODA received by central Africa from 2019–2023.</i> Who gave the most? The biggest donor of the region is the United States. It gave a total of $1.7 billion to the region, accounting for 45.6% of the overall. Among its biggest recipients are the Democratic Republic of Congo, or DRC, with $1.2 billion; Cameroon, with almost $167 million; and the Central African Republic, with $125 million. France is the second-biggest donor, giving a total of $680.5 million, or 18.5% of the total. Its biggest recipient is Cameroon with $201.5 million, then the Republic of Congo with $102.1 million, and then Chad with $99.6 million. Germany followed France with $361.5 million, or 9.8% of the total. The DRC is its biggest recipient with $144.6 million. Cameroon followed with $115.1 million, and then the Central African Republic with $47.2 million. Sweden comes next with $136.1 million, with the DRC as its biggest recipient with $92.1 million. Belgium then followed with $118.4 million, with the DRC also as its biggest recipient with $113.2 million. Where did the money go? Overall, the DRC received the most money. It received almost $2 billion in ODA in 2023. Cameroon followed with $572.1 million. Chad received $323.1 million, followed by the Central African Republic with $286.4 million, and then Angola with $172.7 million. <div class='tableauPlaceholder' id='viz1760950360599' style='position: relative'><noscript><a href='#'><img alt='Dashboard 1 ' src='https:&#47;&#47;public.tableau.com&#47;static&#47;images&#47;Mi&#47;MiddleAfricaODA-Recipients&#47;Dashboard1&#47;1_rss.png' style='border: none' /></a></noscript><object class='tableauViz' style='display:none;'><param name='host_url' value='https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2F' /> <param name='embed_code_version' value='3' /> <param name='site_root' value='' /><param name='name' value='MiddleAfricaODA-Recipients&#47;Dashboard1' /><param name='tabs' value='no' /><param name='toolbar' value='yes' /><param name='static_image' value='https:&#47;&#47;public.tableau.com&#47;static&#47;images&#47;Mi&#47;MiddleAfricaODA-Recipients&#47;Dashboard1&#47;1.png' /> <param name='animate_transition' value='yes' /><param name='display_static_image' value='yes' /><param name='display_spinner' value='yes' /><param name='display_overlay' value='yes' /><param name='display_count' value='yes' /><param name='language' value='en-US' /><param name='filter' value='publish=yes' /></object></div><param name='device' value='desktop' /><param name='showShareOptions' value='false' /> <script type='text/javascript'> var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1760950360599'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 800 ) { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 500 ) { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height='727px';} var scriptElement = document.createElement('script'); scriptElement.src = 'https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js'; vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement); </script> <i style=font-style: georgia;”>The top ODA recipients in central Africa in 2023.</i> Likely because of the ongoing crisis within the region, the humanitarian aid sector received the most funding with $1.5 billion. The biggest contributor is the U.S. with $1.1 billion, followed by Sweden with $70.1 million, and then France with $54.5 million. The health sector followed with $405.1 million. The U.S. gave the most to this sector with $202.7 million. France followed with $80 million, and then Belgium with almost $30 million. Education is the third-most funded sector with $351.7 million. France is the largest contributor with $151.9 million, which is followed by Germany with $86 million. The U.S. also made a contribution of $33.3 million. <div class='tableauPlaceholder' id='viz1760950418669' style='position: relative'><noscript><a href='#'><img alt='Dashboard 1 ' src='https:&#47;&#47;public.tableau.com&#47;static&#47;images&#47;Mi&#47;MiddleAfricaODA-Sectors&#47;Dashboard1&#47;1_rss.png' style='border: none' /></a></noscript><object class='tableauViz' style='display:none;'><param name='host_url' value='https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2F' /> <param name='embed_code_version' value='3' /> <param name='site_root' value='' /><param name='name' value='MiddleAfricaODA-Sectors&#47;Dashboard1' /><param name='tabs' value='no' /><param name='toolbar' value='yes' /><param name='static_image' value='https:&#47;&#47;public.tableau.com&#47;static&#47;images&#47;Mi&#47;MiddleAfricaODA-Sectors&#47;Dashboard1&#47;1.png' /> <param name='animate_transition' value='yes' /><param name='display_static_image' value='yes' /><param name='display_spinner' value='yes' /><param name='display_overlay' value='yes' /><param name='display_count' value='yes' /><param name='language' value='en-US' /><param name='filter' value='publish=yes' /></object></div><param name='device' value='desktop' /><param name='showShareOptions' value='false' /> <script type='text/javascript'> var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1760950418669'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 800 ) { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 500 ) { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height='727px';} var scriptElement = document.createElement('script'); scriptElement.src = 'https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js'; vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement); </script> <i style=font-style: georgia;”>The top-funded sectors of central Africa in 2023.</i> Who were the top implementers? According to the data from IATI, the whole of central Africa received a total of $11 billion in aid. This is drastically different from what was reported from the OECD as it includes private financing and other flows. In terms of reporting organization, the World Bank reported the most funding with $2.6 billion. This is followed by the United States Agency for International Development with $1.5 billion. The World Food Programme followed with $877.3 million. When it comes to receiving organizations, there is roughly $1.5 billion unaccounted for. This is because there was no receiving organization mentioned, or USAID has decided to redact the information. The list of receiving organizations contains a healthy mix of both U.N. organizations and government bodies. WFP received $1.6 billion, topping the list. It is followed by the United Nations Office for Project Services with $548.9 million, and then the Ministry of Finance of Angola with $500 million. What can we expect if the US pulls out? Without funding from the U.S., ODA to central Africa would fall to around $2 billion. This is a significant drop in ODA. If the trend continues, then the humanitarian aid sector would be hit the most. Without the contribution of the U.S., humanitarian aid would fall to only $382.2 million. Health-related projects will also suffer. It remains to be seen how much other donors may cover the shortfall. Try out Devex Pro Funding today with a free five-day trial, and explore funding opportunities from over 850 sources in addition to our analysis and news content.