Healthcare in Africa ‘under growing strain’ after US withdrawal from aid programs, report warns
Accra Reset’s report states countries in the region and global south should take greater control of their health development after USAID debacle
TL;DR
- US withdrawal from aid programs has put healthcare in Africa and the Global South under growing strain.
- The Trump administration's cuts to programs like USAID, alongside the Covid-19 pandemic and rising living costs, have created urgency for healthcare reform in the region.
- The Accra Reset report, led by John Dramani Mahama, advocates for greater control over health development by countries in Africa and the Global South.
- Africa produces less than 1% of its vaccines while carrying about 25% of the global disease burden.
- External financing for health in Africa contracted by close to 70% between 2021 and 2025.
- The withdrawal of PEPFAR funding for South Africa led to HIV clinics closing and uncertainty for 1.4 million people living with HIV.
- Ghana lost $78 million following the closure of USAID programs.
- Donor dependency is not sustainable, and donor countries should support African countries' transitions to greater ownership of their health systems.
- Recent polling suggests progressive attitudes among US citizens towards foreign aid, with a majority agreeing the US should restore disease prevention aid.