USAID Shutdown: Rethinking Aid for a Self-Reliant Africa

The ongoing shutdown of USAID has sent shockwaves across Africa and beyond, disrupting numerous current and future projects. While this funding pause is already affecting displaced populations, crisis response programs, and healthcare initiatives, it also presents an opportunity for critical reflection. The time has come to reassess the effectiveness of foreign aid and advocate for more sustainable, locally driven solutions.

For decades, international aid has been a significant driver of humanitarian assistance and investment in Africa. While some aid initiatives have yielded positive results, the long-term effectiveness of many programs remains questionable. After more than 15 years of working in humanitarian settings across various African regions, I have witnessed firsthand how aid is often misallocated, poorly managed, and, at times, counterproductive to the goal of self-sufficiency.

Aid in Africa: A System Designed to Fail?

As someone born into an economy shaped by aid dependency, I have always questioned whether international assistance was ever truly intended to help Africa thrive. If aid were meant to foster real development, why does the continent remain burdened with persistent poverty, underdevelopment, and governance failures despite receiving billions in assistance?

Take the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as a prime example. In the past decade alone, USAID has provided more than $6 billion to the DRC. Yet, the country remains one of the poorest in the world, with over 60% of its population living on less than $2.15 per day, according to the World Bank. The critical questions remain:

• How was this money used?
• Was it allocated to the right causes?
• Did it address the socio-economic needs of the Congolese people, or was it merely aligned with grant guidelines set in Washington?
• How much of these funds directly reached the intended beneficiaries, and how much was lost to administrative costs, expensive assets, and corruption?

Despite the influx of aid, government officials in Congo and many other African nations continue to enrich themselves while relying on external support to meet basic needs. How is it that leaders who can embezzle millions still need foreign assistance to provide healthcare, education, and infrastructure? This paradox underscores the urgency of economic reform and greater accountability in aid allocation. I don’t mean to sound radical, but I strongly agree with former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta’s statement, which serves as a wake-up call for African leaders to reconsider development strategies independent of USAID or any Western aid, much of which comes with strings attached.

Where is the Impact?

In many African countries where aid programs operate, the tangible impact is often minimal compared to the vast sums recorded in financial reports. Large-scale humanitarian organizations, many of which are more focused on branding and media visibility than real impact, have perpetuated a cycle of dependency rather than fostering long-term resilience. The recent shifts in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger demonstrate that African nations can survive and even thrive without heavy reliance on Western aid. Their growing emphasis on localized solutions should serve as an example for the rest of the continent.

Lessons from the USAID Shutdown: The Need for Localization

While the abrupt suspension of USAID funding is undeniably affecting vulnerable populations, it should also serve as a wake-up call for African governments, organizations, and communities. Now, more than ever is the time to prioritize self-sufficiency, create employment opportunities, and develop sustainable local economies.

Humanitarian organizations must move away from the traditional top-down aid model and instead support initiatives led by local actors. Programs should be designed and implemented by the communities they aim to serve, ensuring that resources directly benefit those in need rather than being absorbed by excessive administrative costs, high expatriate salaries, and unnecessary travel expenses.

While USAID will likely resume operations with some structural adjustments, this moment presents an opportunity for real change. The future of humanitarian work in Africa must involve:

1. Redirecting resources to where they are truly needed.

2. Cutting excessive expenditures on expatriate personnel, luxury offices, and extravagant conferences.

3. Investing in social enterprises that create sustainable local employment.

4. Empowering local initiatives and communities to lead development efforts.

Only through these shifts can we break the cycle of aid dependency and build a future where Africa is not merely surviving on foreign assistance but thriving through its innovation, resources, and resilience.

It is time for African solutions to African challenges.