It is time for Africans to shed reliance on Western handouts

Trump’s decision to slash foreign aid jeopardises these gains. Without the steady flow of US funds, many healthcare programmes face potential collapse. Clinics could close, access to life-saving medications could dwindle, and the progress made in reducing HIV/Aids prevalence could unravel.

The World Health Organisation estimates that sub-Saharan Africa is home to two-thirds of the world’s HIV-positive population, and the loss of funding will exacerbate an already critical situation.

Moreover, the ripple effects extend beyond HIV/Aids. Foreign aid has supported maternal and child health programmes, vaccination campaigns, and malaria prevention efforts. Cuts to these programmes risk reversing hard-won progress in reducing mortality rates and improving public health outcomes.

But whilst the immediate consequences of Trump’s decision are stark, it is crucial to interrogate the role of foreign aid in sub-Saharan Africa and whether it has been as altruistic as it appears.

Economist Dambisa Moyo, in her seminal book 'Dead Aid', argues that aid has often done more harm than good. She contends that foreign aid fosters dependency, fuels corruption, and undermines the development of robust local economies. Moyo’s critique highlights the paternalistic nature of Western philanthropy, which she describes as a mechanism to maintain control over African nations.

Aid is frequently tied to political and economic conditionalities that serve the interests of donor countries, perpetuating a form of neo-colonialism. For instance, donor-driven programmes often prioritise short-term results over long-term structural change, leaving recipient countries vulnerable to external shocks, such as the abrupt withdrawal of funding.

Philosopher Achille Mbembe offers a broader critique of Western engagement with Africa, arguing that it often reduces the continent to a site of crisis and need. In his work 'Critique of black reason', Mbembe examines how the West’s relationship with Africa is rooted in a history of exploitation and dehumanisation. Foreign aid, he suggests, is not just a tool of economic control but a symbolic act that reinforces Africa’s position as a perpetual recipient of charity, incapable of self-sufficiency.

While Trump’s decision to cut aid is undoubtedly damaging in the short term, it also forces sub-Saharan Africa to confront a crucial question: Can the continent build self-reliant systems that do not depend on Western handouts? Trump’s funding cuts underscore the need to rethink the narrative surrounding Africa’s relationship with the West.

As Moyo and Mbembe have argued, dependency on foreign aid is not only unsustainable but also undermines the dignity and agency of African nations. By building self-reliant systems, Africa has the chance to rewrite this narrative and assert its sovereignty on the global stage.

Ms Gitahi is an international lawyer