Foreign aid funding to Africa is set to decline by up to £1.6 billion, following the UK government’s decision to reduce its international development budget. (BBC)
(The Post News)- The UK government has acknowledged that its 40% cut in foreign aid budget will likely result in increased global deaths and disease, with Africa set to bear the brunt of the impact.
Announced in February, the reduction from 0.5% to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI) is projected to result in a total drop of approximately £6 billion by 2027, with £575 million in cuts already planned for 2025–26. These include substantial reductions in funding for health and education projects, which will impact those in low-income regions the most.
This includes financial cuts and decreases in sexual and reproductive health, pandemic preparedness, and the Ending Preventable Deaths programme and discontinuation of education, gender, and equality programmes. It is reported that A girls’ education project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, supporting 170,000 children in post-conflict areas, will be discontinued.
Although Africa is said to have a £1.6 billion to £1.4 billion decline in funds, it is not the only region that will be negatively impacted. The Middle East is also projected to see a major decrease in UK foreign aid.
Minister of State for International Development, Baroness Chapman explained that this decision does not come lightly. She acknowledged that “There will be a huge impact, I’m not pretending otherwise,”. However, she added that the UK must shift its image from a global charity to one that uses foreign aid as a strategic investment.
She says, “It’s about partnership and not paternalism.”
Chapman further added that the UK will now “sharpen” focus on pressing issues like health, climate change, and humanitarian crises in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan—areas she claims the public expects Britain to lead. The BBC reports that the reduction in foreign aid spending will also allow the UK to increase its defense budget to 2.5%, following pressure from the United States.
The decision has drawn widespread criticism from humanitarian organizations, with over 60 major UK and international charities urging the government to reverse the foreign aid funding cuts, calling the budget cut the “worst aid budget for women and girls on record.”
As the government prepares to finalize the details of the spending review later this year, many aid groups and experts warn that these cuts in foreign aid by the UK and the US (earlier this year) risk reversing years of progress in global health, education, and gender equality.
Please share your thoughts contact Lukhona via email: journalist-lukhona@thepostnews.net
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