What US Health Funding Cuts Mean for Millions in Africa

By Adebowale Bello. B.Tech Microbiology, Freelance Health Writer.

US Pesident Donald J. Trump. Credit

In a move that could have dire consequences for millions, the U.S government under President Donald J. Trump, has terminated funding for crucial global health programs, including those addressing polio, HIV, malaria and malnutrition. These cuts, affecting about 5,800 projects, come as a heavy blow to many African countries where American aid has long been a backbone of public health efforts.  

Dr Catherine Kyobutungi, Executive Director of the African Population and Health Research Centre, in Nairobi, Kenya, put it bluntly: "People will die." And the worst part? Many of these deaths may go uncounted, as even programmes tracking health statistics have been defunded.

What Projects Have Been Cut?

The terminated projects are not just numbers on a spreadsheet, they represent real people who now face an uncertain future. Here are samples of some critical programmes that have been halted in Africa in four health sectors:

I. Disease Prevention and Treatment

• A programme by the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, which provided lifesaving HIV drugs to 350,000 people in Lesotho, Tanzania and Eswatini—including 10,000 pregnant women—has been shut down.

• HIV Treatment and Medical Supplies in Kenya – Managed and distributed $34 million worth of medical supplies, including 2.5 million month long HIV treatments, 750,000 HIV tests, 500,000 malaria treatments, 6.5 million malaria tests and 315,000 antimalarial bed nets.

• Tuberculosis Treatment – Global Drug Facility funding was terminated, cutting off treatment for nearly three million people, including 300,000 children.

• Malaria Control Program (REACH Malaria) – Protected over 20 million people in 10 African countries through malaria drugs at the start of the rainy season.

• President’s Malaria Initiative (Evolve Program) – Conducted mosquito control in 21 African countries, protecting 12.5 million people via home insecticide spraying and larval treatments.

• Polio Vaccination in Africa – A $131 million grant to UNICEF for polio vaccine delivery was terminated.

• Tuberculosis and HIV Treatment in Uganda – A programme run by Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation Uganda provided treatment to 46,000 people.

II. Malnutrition and Food Security

• Severe Acute Malnutrition Treatment in Nigeria – Provided 5.6 million children and 1.7 million women with treatment. The termination closed 77 health facilities, putting 60,000 children under 5 at immediate risk of death.

• Helen Keller Int’l Programme in West Africa – Provided treatment to 35 million people for neglected tropical diseases like trachoma, schistosomiasis and river blindness.

III. Maternal and Child Health

• Pre- and Postnatal Care in Uganda – A project tracking and preventing Ebola cases, including safe burials, was shut down.

• Demographic and Health Surveys in Africa – These surveys, which provide the only source of data on maternal and child health, nutrition, reproductive health and HIV in 90 countries, have been terminated.

IV. Conflict-Affected and Vulnerable Populations

• Water Supply for Refugees in DRC – The only water source for 250,000 displaced people was cut off.

• Healthcare in Sudan’s Kordofan Region – The only operating health clinics in the region have been shut down.

• Health Services in Northern Ethiopia – Plan International’s programme providing healthcare, malnutrition treatment and water to 115,000 displaced people has ended.

• Support for Survivors of Gender-Based Violence in South Africa – 87 shelters caring for 33,000 women who survived rape and domestic violence have been closed.

Other cancelled programmes at the global level that have implications for health in Africa are detailed below:

Global Programmes

• Smart4TB Research Consortium – The global research group on tuberculosis prevention, diagnostics and treatment lost funding.

• Demographic and Health Surveys – A worldwide project tracking maternal and child health, nutrition, reproductive health and HIV rates has been terminated.

Why Is This Happening?

The cuts are a result of a policy shift by the U.S government, citing "convenience and the interest of the U.S government."

The Trump administration had previously frozen funding for many aid projects, and now the axe has fallen on those that had received temporary waivers.

This decision has been met with global outrage, as the affected programmes were not just charitable handouts but essential life-or-death interventions. Experts argue that such cuts could also harm the U.S itself, as disease outbreaks in Africa often spill over to other continents.

How Will This Affect Africa?

For years, the U.S has played a major role in funding health initiatives in Africa, often filling gaps where local governments lack resources. The termination of these programmes could have catastrophic consequences, including:

1. Rising Death Rates – Millions of people, especially children and pregnant women, may now go without lifesaving medicines and vaccines.

2. HIV and Malaria Resurgence – Without treatment and prevention, diseases that were being controlled may surge back. This could reverse decades of progress.

3. Increased Pressure on Weak Health Systems – African health systems, already struggling with limited funding, will now have to find ways to compensate for the lost support.

4. More Humanitarian Crises– In conflict zones like Sudan, DRC and Ethiopia, where aid workers provided the only health services, the consequences could be deadly.

What Can Be Done?

All is not gloom and doom if African governments can step up health system funding, as well as explore additional non-US sources of funding to sustain their critical health services programmes. Some potential solutions include:

• Increased In-Country Government Investment: African governments need to prioritise health spending and develop sustainable domestic financing mechanisms.

• Regional and International Partnerships: The African Union, European Union and other global players should be motivated to step in and fill the funding gap.

• Private Sector Involvement: Philanthropic organisations and businesses in Africa could play a larger role in health funding.

• Community-Led Initiatives: Strengthening local health systems through community health workers and grassroots programmes can provide some resilience against funding shocks.

Wrap Up

The U.S funding cuts are more than just a diplomatic decision—they represent a crisis that could cost lives across Africa. It is a wake-up call for African nations to reduce reliance on foreign aid and develop homegrown solutions for healthcare funding.  

However, in the short term, the loss of billions of dollars in aid will leave millions vulnerable, with children, women and displaced populations suffering the most. The world is watching, but will anyone step in before it’s too late?

Resource: The New York Times news release

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• How May Kennedy's Confirmation As US Secretary of Health Impact Africa?

Published: March 12, 2025

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