On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14169, imposing a 90‑day freeze on nearly all U.S. foreign development assistance—including much of USAID’s programming—pending a review of its alignment with American foreign policy. By March, this had evolved into the abrupt termination of roughly 83 percent of USAID programs, particularly those targeting health, humanitarian, and development initiatives across Africa.
Lives at Risk: Economic, Health, Poverty, and Research Fallout
The withdrawal has triggered severe health risks across sub‑Saharan Africa. A recent Lancet study estimated up to 14 million preventable deaths by 2030, including 4.5 million children under five, directly attributable to the collapse of USAID and its flagship program, PEPFAR. PEPFAR suspension alone is predicted to cause 10.75 million new HIV infections and nearly 3 million AIDS-related deaths. Another model estimates 630,000 HIV‑related deaths annually if the program remains suspended, a fourfold increase by some accounts.
The President’s Malaria Initiative too has seen funding slashed by 47 percent by June 2025, resulting in dangerous shortages of antimalarials and diagnostics in countries like the DRC, where disease surveillance systems are collapsing and malnutrition is exacerbating mortality risks. USAID closes its doors after six decades of global humanitarian operations amid Trump crackdown. Its few remaining staff, functions and programmes will now be absorbed into the US State Department, marking an end to humanitarian relief work which USAID supporters say saved countless lives around the world.
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In Sudan, where conflict and famine already threatened millions, the abrupt halt in aid disrupted vaccines, nutrition supplements like Plumpy’Nut, and emergency clinics—leading to sharp spikes in child mortality and disease outbreaks.
In South Africa, a promising HIV vaccine trial funded by U.S. support was unexpectedly terminated, leading to layoffs of over 100 researchers and 8,000 healthcare workers, derailing scientific capacity with projected losses nearing $107 million over five years.
Models suggest that 5.7 million more Africans would fall into extreme poverty by next year as a direct result of U.S. aid cuts, with nearly 19 million extra people living in poverty by 2030 under “business as usual” reductions—particularly affecting Ethiopia, Somalia, DRC, Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique
In Kenya, U.S. aid had been a critical funder of startups and entrepreneurship, including agricultural innovation. Cuts have created a $100 million shortfall, drying up capital for thousands of small businesses and farmers
The Untold & Under-reported Story
Despite devastating consequences, these crises are under‑reported globally. Many official reports remain confined to internal memos or academic journals, while mainstream media attention has pivoted to trade tariffs, geopolitics, and shifting priorities toward AI and investment frameworks. African leaders, under pressure, often frame the transition as a push toward self‑reliance—even as the losses in health, education and governance are unfolding in real time.
Local media in affected nations often lack the reach or safety to carry these stories, and donors emphasize political alignment over humanitarian impact. Resulting narratives downplay suffering in favor of diplomatic talking points or development transition rhetoric.
These figures—millions falling into poverty, hundreds of thousands of deaths, stalled vaccine trials—are human stories demanding attention. Behind the statistics are health workers laid off, children going unvaccinated, families losing businesses, and scientists forced out of global research efforts.
Reporting on these crises requires sustained diligence: journalistic focus, civil society documentation, and international advocacy to ensure lives impacted by policy shifts aren’t erased by silence—or geopolitics.
