How can Africa Healthcare grow over the lack of foreign Public Aid ? Part 1
How can Africa Healthcare grow over the lack of foreign Public Aid ? Part 1
How can Africa Healthcare grow over the lack of foreign Public Aid ? Part 1
How can Africa Healthcare grow over the lack of foreign Public Aid ? Part 1
While USAID funds are suspended and nationalism is raising, africans are forced to re-think their strategy. In this first part discover the USAID money weight in African’s health.
While USAID funds are suspended and nationalism is raising, africans are forced to re-think their strategy. In this first part discover the USAID money weight in African’s health.
Published on: Feb 25, 2025
Published on: Feb 25, 2025
4 min
4 min
Jocelini do Rego
Jocelini do Rego
Freshly elected US President, DonaldTrump freezes USAID budget before closing his first week back in the White House. Following this suspension, the USAID website has gone offline, and its name has even been removed from the offices of the U.S. government in Washington, D.C..
According to the USAID General inspector Notification of Administrative Leave : « All USAID direct hire personnel, … , will be placed on administrative leave globally ». Affecting 1,600 USAID personnel in the United States, USAID intends a voluntary Agency-funded return travel program for overseas personnel.
This decision has had significant global repercussions, particularly in Africa, where USAID provided $8.2 billion in 2023 to fund initiatives in healthcare, agriculture, governance, and economic development【1】.
The USAID budget : small for US, giant for Africa
Representing less than 1% of the total U.S. federal budget, USAID’s funds accounted for $32 billion in 2024 but represented 42% of the global humanitarian Aid in 2024【2】. Most of this funds served as development aid support for low and middle incomes and Africa health systems was therefore one of the favorite destination of this money.
From an African perspective, $32 billion is 36 times the budget that Senegal allocated to its Ministry of Health over 4 years ($889 million from 2009 to 2012) or 151 times the total amount allocated by Togo to its Ministry of Health between 2017 and 2018 ($150.6 million over two years)【3】【4】.
USAID and International Aid had an important weight in Africa national health systems
A 2017 report on Senegal revealed that over 80% of salaries in the health system management were financed by foreign donors, including USAID, the Global Fund, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the World Bank【5】. That means most of public health managers and regulators are paid thanks to development aid fundings.
During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, these investments have surged, and increased the weight of Public Donors and USAID in public health actions and programs. Particularly, with the global vaccine distribution strategies (e.g., COVAX) and massive digital health investments in both the public and private sectors【6】.
A large support from local health ecosystem animation to patient care
Locally USAID support benefits 2 core of receivers, public health managers and institutions in one hand and local patients and caregivers in the other hand. USAID also support local health ecosystem networks or training and events. A whole ecosystem of medical and health management activities were backed from its funds, involving NGOs, international experts, consultants, and local contributors.
Across Africa, USAID funds helped governments in achieving several public health goals. All over the continent, health programs often offers end-to end technical and financials support to help people having their treatments, caregivers being trained transportation and related services being paid. For example :
Over 50% of maternal and child health programs in West Africa rely on external funding【7】.
In Uganda, USAID-funded HIV programs cover nearly 75% of patient treatment costs【8】.
The PEPFAR initiative, largely supported by USAID, ensures that 14 million people receive life-saving antiretroviral therapy in Africa【9】.
The sudden withdrawal of USAID support could severely impact these programs, leaving millions without access to essential care.
A Shift in Global Health Policies?
A New Global Dynamic is starting to take place according to public opinions and geopolitical trends :
Nationalist policies in both North and South create a growing reluctance to allocate funds to international aid programs.
Sovereign health strategies in the Global South where African nations are seeking greater autonomy over their health sectors.
In a context of rising global conflicts and economic protectionism, citizens are increasingly voting for more protective policies. If recent elections in Western countries confirm this trend of far right wins, it is surprisingly mirrored in the Global South, where nations are advocating for more autonomy and equitable partnerships【10】.
If USAID’s suspension is just a warning shot before the real storm, African governments must urgently prepare alternative strategies.
A wake up call for African ?
The freeze on USAID funding serves as a wake-up call for African nations. Whether this suspension is temporary and probably a sign of a long-term shift in global aid policies, governments must act now to reduce their dependency and build progressively self-sustaining healthcare systems【12】.
The future of Africa's health sector depends not on how much aid is received, but on how effectively local resources are mobilized and invested.
(Read part 2, to follow the discussion on what african governments could do)
Sources 📚📝🔗
U.S. Federal Budget Report (2024) – Source
Senegal Ministry of Health Budget Report (2009-2012)
Togo Ministry of Health Budget Report (2017-2018)
World Bank Health Expenditure Analysis (2017)
WHO COVID-19 Response and COVAX Initiative (2021)
UNICEF Maternal Health Funding in West Africa (2022)
Uganda Ministry of Health HIV Treatment Report (2023)
PEPFAR Annual Report (2023) – Source
Global Economic Trends Report (2024)
Africa Sovereign Health Strategies Analysis (2024)
McKinsey & Co. – Africa Digital Health Market (2023)
African Development Bank – Healthcare Industry Growth Report (2024)
Missing Data 🧐📉🔎
Detailed financial breakdown of USAID-funded projects in African health systems.
Projected impact on healthcare accessibility if USAID funding remains frozen.
Alternative funding mechanisms African nations could adopt to replace USAID aid.
Case studies of countries that successfully transitioned from aid dependency to self-sustaining health systems.
Analysis of the potential role of private sector investment in filling funding gaps.
One more minute → We have two questions for you 🎤
We are lacking of high quality health insights and data to have real impact on people health in Africa. Take one more minute to help us have some ;)
Kindly, click the link below to answer. ⬇️
Feedback on "News : How can Africa Healthcare grow over the lack of foreign Public Aid ?"
Freshly elected US President, DonaldTrump freezes USAID budget before closing his first week back in the White House. Following this suspension, the USAID website has gone offline, and its name has even been removed from the offices of the U.S. government in Washington, D.C..
According to the USAID General inspector Notification of Administrative Leave : « All USAID direct hire personnel, … , will be placed on administrative leave globally ». Affecting 1,600 USAID personnel in the United States, USAID intends a voluntary Agency-funded return travel program for overseas personnel.
This decision has had significant global repercussions, particularly in Africa, where USAID provided $8.2 billion in 2023 to fund initiatives in healthcare, agriculture, governance, and economic development【1】.
The USAID budget : small for US, giant for Africa
Representing less than 1% of the total U.S. federal budget, USAID’s funds accounted for $32 billion in 2024 but represented 42% of the global humanitarian Aid in 2024【2】. Most of this funds served as development aid support for low and middle incomes and Africa health systems was therefore one of the favorite destination of this money.
From an African perspective, $32 billion is 36 times the budget that Senegal allocated to its Ministry of Health over 4 years ($889 million from 2009 to 2012) or 151 times the total amount allocated by Togo to its Ministry of Health between 2017 and 2018 ($150.6 million over two years)【3】【4】.
USAID and International Aid had an important weight in Africa national health systems
A 2017 report on Senegal revealed that over 80% of salaries in the health system management were financed by foreign donors, including USAID, the Global Fund, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the World Bank【5】. That means most of public health managers and regulators are paid thanks to development aid fundings.
During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, these investments have surged, and increased the weight of Public Donors and USAID in public health actions and programs. Particularly, with the global vaccine distribution strategies (e.g., COVAX) and massive digital health investments in both the public and private sectors【6】.
A large support from local health ecosystem animation to patient care
Locally USAID support benefits 2 core of receivers, public health managers and institutions in one hand and local patients and caregivers in the other hand. USAID also support local health ecosystem networks or training and events. A whole ecosystem of medical and health management activities were backed from its funds, involving NGOs, international experts, consultants, and local contributors.
Across Africa, USAID funds helped governments in achieving several public health goals. All over the continent, health programs often offers end-to end technical and financials support to help people having their treatments, caregivers being trained transportation and related services being paid. For example :
Over 50% of maternal and child health programs in West Africa rely on external funding【7】.
In Uganda, USAID-funded HIV programs cover nearly 75% of patient treatment costs【8】.
The PEPFAR initiative, largely supported by USAID, ensures that 14 million people receive life-saving antiretroviral therapy in Africa【9】.
The sudden withdrawal of USAID support could severely impact these programs, leaving millions without access to essential care.
A Shift in Global Health Policies?
A New Global Dynamic is starting to take place according to public opinions and geopolitical trends :
Nationalist policies in both North and South create a growing reluctance to allocate funds to international aid programs.
Sovereign health strategies in the Global South where African nations are seeking greater autonomy over their health sectors.
In a context of rising global conflicts and economic protectionism, citizens are increasingly voting for more protective policies. If recent elections in Western countries confirm this trend of far right wins, it is surprisingly mirrored in the Global South, where nations are advocating for more autonomy and equitable partnerships【10】.
If USAID’s suspension is just a warning shot before the real storm, African governments must urgently prepare alternative strategies.
A wake up call for African ?
The freeze on USAID funding serves as a wake-up call for African nations. Whether this suspension is temporary and probably a sign of a long-term shift in global aid policies, governments must act now to reduce their dependency and build progressively self-sustaining healthcare systems【12】.
The future of Africa's health sector depends not on how much aid is received, but on how effectively local resources are mobilized and invested.
(Read part 2, to follow the discussion on what african governments could do)
Sources 📚📝🔗
U.S. Federal Budget Report (2024) – Source
Senegal Ministry of Health Budget Report (2009-2012)
Togo Ministry of Health Budget Report (2017-2018)
World Bank Health Expenditure Analysis (2017)
WHO COVID-19 Response and COVAX Initiative (2021)
UNICEF Maternal Health Funding in West Africa (2022)
Uganda Ministry of Health HIV Treatment Report (2023)
PEPFAR Annual Report (2023) – Source
Global Economic Trends Report (2024)
Africa Sovereign Health Strategies Analysis (2024)
McKinsey & Co. – Africa Digital Health Market (2023)
African Development Bank – Healthcare Industry Growth Report (2024)
Missing Data 🧐📉🔎
Detailed financial breakdown of USAID-funded projects in African health systems.
Projected impact on healthcare accessibility if USAID funding remains frozen.
Alternative funding mechanisms African nations could adopt to replace USAID aid.
Case studies of countries that successfully transitioned from aid dependency to self-sustaining health systems.
Analysis of the potential role of private sector investment in filling funding gaps.
One more minute → We have two questions for you 🎤
We are lacking of high quality health insights and data to have real impact on people health in Africa. Take one more minute to help us have some ;)
Kindly, click the link below to answer. ⬇️
Feedback on "News : How can Africa Healthcare grow over the lack of foreign Public Aid ?"
Join our mailing list to get insider infos about healthtech in Africa
Join our mailing list to get insider infos about healthtech in Africa
Africa's Health Tech Monthly Digest
Africa's Health Tech Monthly Digest