On January 20, President Donald Trump has sanctioned the 90-day stop of foreign assistance, a decision that has influenced all the financial support shared by the United States International Development Agency (USAID). The decision had a deep influence and created a widespread alarm in the world, nothing more than in Africa.
In 2023, USAID awarded a total of $ 12.1 billion to the countries in Subsaharian Africa, with the aim of improving health care, food assistance and security promotion. Critically, USAID distributes funds for the UMERIA President to help AIDS (PEPFAR), a global AIDS Fund.
The 90-day freezing of funds has caused considerable trouble in Africa, as millions of people are dependent on the services supported by the US government are now facing a scary and uncertain future.
On February 6, in a comprehensive briefing for Parliament, the Minister of Health of South Africa Aaron Motsoledi emphasized the widespread effect of Pepfar to answer HIV. He revealed that Pepfar contributes to 17 percent of the total financing, exceeding $ 7.5 billion ($ 407 million) and supports various programs for 7.8 million South Africans living with HIV/AIDS, which is the highest number in the world. He also pointed out that more than 15,000 healthcare staff, including nurses, pharmacists and directors, are rewarded through Pepfar.
The answer of HIV/AIDS South Africa is certainly in an insecure state, provided that Trump’s administration administration of a whimsical, aggressive and vindictive political agenda. Still, it is true that this “USAID crisis” could be prevented by the South African nation to take responsibility for its socioeconomic questions, instead of delegating them to a foreign nation that has now become hostile.
As the most advanced, diverse and productive economy in Africa, South Africa should not rely overly on Pepfar, especially to the extent in which USAID funding becomes the basic component of its health budget.
This addiction to USAID financing is actually a symptom of a more critical problem within the health system and the Government as a whole: a widespread, high level of poor management and corruption. Each year, due to rough not -administration and unverified corruption, South Africa loses billions of rand, agents that are key to resolving vital needs to provide services, including those associated with HIV/AIDS Healthcare.
Tercial Tembis Hospital (TPTH), a public institution sponsored by the Gauteng Ministry of Health, serves as a prominent example of an extensive lack of corruption practices. In August 2024, a special investigative unit (SIU), an independent agency of the South African government responsible for researching abuse in state-owned companies (SOE), reported that corruption networks had caused financial losses of more than 3 billion RAND in the institution, and evidence indicates participation in this illegal staff in the hospital.
For several years, the hospital has struggled to fulfill its obligations to provide services and faced significant resource limitations, including the critical deficiency of specialized staff and equipment, which, in certain cases, resulted in death that can be prevented.
Excessive wear, wasteful expenses and fraud seen on TPTH, unfortunately, are representative for a widespread trend.
Last year, the General of South Africa (AGSA) found that the Gauteng-Samo Provincial Government was one of the nine provincial bodies in southern Africa-Denial 9.879 billion rand in irregular expenditures in the financial year 2023-24. Furthermore, the incorrect expenditures of 2024 reached 50.65 billion RAND in 38 government departments, while 27 SOE recorded a total of 69.35 billion RAND.
When contextualizing, such high figures show that $ 7.5 billion in annual help is now smaller than significant billions that have been lost as a result of fraud, poor management and corruption.
Encouraging the culture of pure and responsible management, South Africa can significantly reduce or fully eliminate its problematic dependence on USA health care and beyond. A similar situation exists in Kenya, where the US has been obliged to provide $ 207 million to help for 2024.
Suspension from Washington, in one case, threatened the health of HIV-positive orphan who resides in the Nyumbani Children’s House in Nairobi. Between 1999 and 2023, USAID and Pepfar contributed more than $ 16 million to an orphanage, allowing him to support approximately 50,000 children through their rescue center and two information for information, Lea Toto and Nyumbani Village.
Without the funds needed, thousands of vulnerable children could get sick or die seriously. Many more young people could be deprived of vital services of HIV/AIDS counseling services.
Kenya, like South Africa, has the opportunity to get out of the US help with help and support orphanages like the Nyumbani Children’s Home through its own financing. This, however, can only happen if the Kenyan government attracts a strong position against corruption, re -evaluates state expenses and focuses on improving effective management
According to the findings of the Ethics and Corruption Commission, corruption costs about 608 billion of Kenyan shillings per year ($ 4.7 billion) to Kenya, which is equivalent to 7.8 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
Nairobi is responsible to take care of his most amazing citizens. Children of the Nyumbani Children’s House should not rely on Washington for HIV/AIDS services. The primary reason why these orphans are in such a challenging situation is the indifference of Kenyan politicians who use their well -being and the overall benefits of the nation.
About 37.5 percent of the Kenyan population is considered a multidimensionally poor, which means that they experience deficiency in several aspects of life, including health, education and life standards, measured by the global multidimensional poverty index (MPI). However, Kenyan President William Ruto, March 16, 2023, appointed the most vulnerable administration in the recent history of Eastern Africa.
Ruto, a veteran politician, was also second in the organized crime and corruption project (OCCRP) 2024. assignafter the former Syrian powerful Bashar Al-Assad. This prize, shamefully, honors the leaders believed to be actively promoting global organized crime and corruption.
Meanwhile, in West Africa, Nigeria is an even more convincing case than Kenya.
On February 14, Nigeria approved a $ 200 million funding distribution to alleviate the expected 2025 deficit, which is the result of a decrease in US health assistance. In 2023, the US provided more than $ 600 million in health support to Nigeria, which accounts for more than 21 percent of the annual health budget of the state, primarily according to the prevention of malaria, the eradication of HIV’s distribution of vaccines.
Nevertheless, many of the socioeconomic challenges in Nigeria are mostly self-informed. He has to strive for greater self -sufficiency, not to rely on American help. Earth has a huge economic potential – a potential that cannot be fulfilled due to, among other things, significant corruption and waste. Nigeria loses about $ 18 billion every year due to financial violation and corrupt procurement processes. Corruption, according to a study Assembled by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) Nigeria in 2016, perhaps by 2030. It will reach 37 percent of GDP country.
The report identified the three main consequences of corruption, especially the decline in management efficiency, which is primarily attributed to a reduced tax basis and ineffective distribution of government resources.
Nigeria – who experienced a wave #Endbadvernanans Protests in 2024 – certainly own resources and abilities to release permanently from now. In order to achieve this, the country must give priority to the implementation of strong, progressive and principled management.
From Zimbabwe to Uganda and Tanzania, the acquisition of independence from the so -called west of the West must be considered a key element of African post -colonial success.
Painful and often humiliating contradiction of Western countries that provide billions of help with ineffective and weak African governments chaired by countries with rich resources should not remain the norm.
African nations must immediately take full and unqualified responsibility for lasting challenges that so many of their poor communities face.
The lives of everyday Africans should not be dependent on the American help and whimsicality of Western politicians. Africa can and must keep an eye on her people.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s and do not reflect the editorial stance of Al Jazeera.
