Africa must learn to stand on its own after donor funding cuts

People protest against US President Donald Trump's decision to shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Washington, DC, on February 5, 2025. [AFP]

Following the announcement by the United Kingdom that it will cut its foreign aid to Third World countries, fresh fears have arisen over what this means for social programmes in Kenya. The new round of foreign aid cuts has come after suggestions from the United States that European countries need to de-prioritise foreign aid and development, and focus instead on bolstering support towards the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and other local defence programmes.

In response the UK has done exactly that and moved money that was meant for education, health and gender programmes directly into its defence budget.