Without USAID, we need hyperlocal war on malnutrition

Members of the pharmacology department take inventory of the last boxes of drugs delivered by the now-dismantled United States Agency for International Development (USAID) amid medical supply shortages in a pharmacy storeroom at Lodwar County Referral Hospital in Lodwar on April 1, 2025. (Photo by Luis TATO / AFP)

The recent closure of USAID marks a pivotal moment in global development. For over six decades, USAID was a major funder of health, agriculture, education, and nutrition programmes across developing countries. Its sudden exit leaves many nations facing a difficult question: can systems built on foreign aid survive without it?

This question is urgent in the fight against malnutrition, a silent crisis that stunts growth, undermines education, and weakens economies more so in developing countries. According to the African Development Bank, over 200 million children in Africa suffer from chronic undernutrition.