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The European Union said it cannot plug the funding gap left by the United States suspending international aid programs, as governments across Africa try to keep critical services running.
The US, the largest single aid donor in the world, disbursed some $72 billion in assistance in 2023, much of it through the US Agency for International Development (USAID). In that year the EU, the largest collective donor, contributed almost $100 billion. Most of USAID’s budget in Africa goes on humanitarian and health aid — the agency spent more than $11 billion there in 2024 — and the freeze has already shuttered services across the continent.
“We will not step back from our humanitarian commitments,” a European Commission spokesperson told Semafor, saying the bloc’s 2025 humanitarian budget alone stands at $1.9 billion — with $510 million earmarked for Africa. But the spokesperson added: “The funding gap is getting bigger, leaving millions in need. The EU cannot fill this gap left by others.”
