Following the Trump administration’s decision to gut USAID, the organization has been nearly dismantled, thereby posing a serious threat to African development. All of the agency’s staff have already been placed on administrative leave, with the exception of a few mission-critical employees. While that has resulted in a lot of upheaval, more chaos is expected: Reportedly, there are plans to shrink USAID’s workforce from 10,000 to around 300, with just a dozen focusing on Africa. This move has alarmed African development partners and Washington policy advisers, who call it “upsetting and irrational” and fear it will reverse historic progress in humanitarian and economic projects across the continent. USAID played a pivotal role in financing key initiatives in Africa, including the provision of life-saving HIV/AIDS medication. Nevertheless, experts believe the move could have some positives and spur African nations to pursue sustainable development models that relegate perpetual aid to the annals of history.
Source: SEMAFOR
