How much aid goes to West Africa?
West Africa received $8.4 billion in ODA in 2023. Is it getting the monetary support that it needs? How would they fare with decreased support? Devex checked the numbers to find out.
West Africa, the home of landmarks such as Timbuktu and the Niger River, is a cultural hub filled with vast natural, beautiful habitats. But it also contains many of the continent’s poorest countries, and faces significant barriers to prosperity — not least a series of insurrections which have seen many of its countries labeled part of the “Coup Belt.” Regional integration is rocky. In January, three West African countries: Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger withdrew their membership from the local body to promote economic integration — the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS. ECOWAS had previously suspended them, and several other nations, following military coups. With all of these pressing issues and the uncertain donor landscape, is West Africa getting the monetary support that it needs? To find out, we used the creditor reporting system dataset from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to determine which countries received the most ODA, and from whom. We also used the International Aid Transparency Initiative’s country development finance dataset to determine the top project implementers. Both OECD and IATI datasets include grant and loan finance. However, IATI also includes private finance whereas OECD does not. All data is for the year 2023, and figures are in 2023 constant prices unless stated otherwise. Given the uncertain nature of future contributions from the United States, we will also present figures that do not include its contribution. What does the data say? Aid to West Africa from Development Assistance Committee member countries has stayed at a relatively consistent rate for the past five years. It received $8.4 billion in 2023, which is a slight increase from $8.3 billion in the previous year. <div class='tableauPlaceholder' id='viz1749200230204' style='position: relative'><noscript><a href='#'><img alt='Dashboard 1 ' src='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/We/WestAfricaODA-YearonYearComparison/Dashboard1/1_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='WestAfricaODA-YearonYearComparison/Dashboard1' /><param name='tabs' value='no' /><param name='toolbar' value='yes' /><param name='static_image' value='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/We/WestAfricaODA-YearonYearComparison/Dashboard1/1.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' /></object></div><param name='device' value='desktop' /><param name='showShareOptions' value='false' /> <script type='text/javascript'> var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1749200230204'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 800 ) { vizElement.style.width='590px';vizElement.style.height='617px';} else if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 500 ) { vizElement.style.width='590px';vizElement.style.height='617px';} 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 West Africa from 2019-2023.</i> The United States was the biggest contributor to official development assistance, or ODA, giving $3.1 billion of aid to the region, compared to $5.4 billion for all other donors. France was the next largest donor, giving $1.7 billion in ODA in 2023. Among its top recipients were Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Benin, Nigeria, and Guinea. Germany came next, providing $1.1 billion in ODA. Its top recipients were Senegal with $140.3 million, Ghana with $138.1 million, Nigeria with $126.9 million, and Côte d’Ivoire with $120.4 million. Japan was another top donor, giving $452.9 million and providing the most to Côte d’Ivoire with almost $128 million. Senegal with $85.5 million, and Ghana with $48.8 million. Where did the money go? At a country level, Nigeria topped the list, receiving $1.5 billion. The majority of its funding came from the U.S., with $968.6 million, accounting for 63.3% of Nigeria’s total. Excluding the U.S. from the total, Nigeria received only $561.5 million. Next was Côte d’Ivoire, which got $1.1 billion. France was its biggest contributor, giving $550.2 million — or 48.7% — of the total. Senegal followed with $1 billion, with France being its top contributor with $325.9 million, accounting for 32.9% of the total. Mali came next, with $757.3 million, with the U.S. being its highest donor with $240.7 million, accounting for 31.8% of its total. Without funding from the U.S., its ODA would be at $516.7 million. Niger got $741.1 million with the U.S. being its top donor, contributing $317.9 million — or 42.9% — of the total. <div class='tableauPlaceholder' id='viz1749202047788' style='position: relative'><noscript><a href='#'><img alt='Dashboard 1 ' src='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/We/WestAfricaODA-ByCountry/Dashboard1/1_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='WestAfricaODA-ByCountry/Dashboard1' /><param name='tabs' value='no' /><param name='toolbar' value='yes' /><param name='static_image' value='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/We/WestAfricaODA-ByCountry/Dashboard1/1.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('viz1749202047788'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 800 ) { vizElement.style.width='590px';vizElement.style.height='617px';} else if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 500 ) { vizElement.style.width='590px';vizElement.style.height='617px';} 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 from West Africa in 2023.</i> Which sectors were funded the most? The government and civil society sector was funded the most with $1.2 billion, primarily from France, with around $364 million, and then Germany with $208.3 million. Excluding U.S. funding, the sector would receive roughly $1 billion. The second most-funded sector was humanitarian aid. The donors allocated $1 billion, with the U.S. being the biggest donor. The U.S. gave $591.1 million, accounting for 58.7% of the total funding. Germany came next with $53.5 million, and then Sweden with $53.4 million. Next was the education sector. It received $949 million, with France contributing the most with $311.3 million, and then the U.S. with $180.7 million. <div class='tableauPlaceholder' id='viz1749207246389' style='position: relative'><noscript><a href='#'><img alt='Dashboard 1 ' src='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/We/WestAfricaFunding-TopSectors/Dashboard1/1_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='WestAfricaFunding-TopSectors/Dashboard1' /><param name='tabs' value='no' /><param name='toolbar' value='yes' /><param name='static_image' value='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/We/WestAfricaFunding-TopSectors/Dashboard1/1.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('viz1749207246389'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 800 ) { vizElement.style.width='590px';vizElement.style.height='617px';} else if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 500 ) { vizElement.style.width='590px';vizElement.style.height='617px';} 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 West Africa in 2023.</i> Who were the top implementers? Country development finance data from IATI, which includes private development financing, shows that $19.1 billion was provided by both public and private donors in 2023. Nigeria received the most cash, with $3.4 billion, followed by Côte d'Ivoire with $2.1 billion, and then Senegal with $2 billion. Sector-wise, health was a priority, evidenced by the $3.1 billion allocated to it. Emergency response came next with $2.1 billion, and then agriculture, forestry, and fishing followed, with $1,3 billion. There are around $2.9 billion worth of activities that have no indicated sector. Data is recorded by the reporting organization — the one giving the money — and the receiving organization — those who are responsible for using the money to implement certain projects. In terms of reporting organization, the World Bank provided the most money — $4.2 billion — to West Africa. This is followed by the United States Agency for International Development with $2.1 billion, and then the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development with $1.3 billion. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria also gave a substantial amount of $1.1 billion to the region. There is a significant amount of data from IATI that does not indicate a receiving organization and is purposefully redacted, which leaves around $3.7 billion worth of activities unaccounted for. The United Nations system dominated the list of recipient organizations. The United Nations World Food Programme received the most money, amounting to $1.7 billion, followed by UNICEF with $565.4 million. Other major recipients include West African government institutions. Among these, the largest grant was $301.9 million from the World Bank to a joint project from the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and the Digital Economy and the Ministry of Women, Family and Child Protection in Senegal. 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.
West Africa, the home of landmarks such as Timbuktu and the Niger River, is a cultural hub filled with vast natural, beautiful habitats.
But it also contains many of the continent’s poorest countries, and faces significant barriers to prosperity — not least a series of insurrections which have seen many of its countries labeled part of the “Coup Belt.”
Regional integration is rocky. In January, three West African countries: Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger withdrew their membership from the local body to promote economic integration — the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS. ECOWAS had previously suspended them, and several other nations, following military coups.
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Alecsondra Si is a Junior Development Analyst at Devex. She analyzes funding data from bilateral and multilateral agencies, foundations, and other public and private donors to produce content for Devex Pro and Pro Funding readers. She has a bachelor’s degree in International Studies - major in European Studies from De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines.
