The Pan-African mission
If we were to move towards the current political climate, pan-Africanists feel somewhat vindicated because of the isolationist policies President Trump is bringing to his second term. The administration cut funding to GAVI, a leading provider of lifesaving vaccinations on the continent, and to USAID, which funded development of infrastructure, schools and hospitals. The reasons for these cuts are contested. US Congressman Scott Perry claimed that USAID funded terrorist organizations across the world, including west Africa’s ISIS-linked terror group Boko Haram. 6 It’s important to note this claim is unsubstantiated and was denied by USAID. As much as the message of the importance of self- reliance is still being spread, The Lancet reported that these cuts will lead to an excess 14 million deaths by 2030, even specifically mentioning that the higher levels of funding went to LMICs, particularly African countries. 7 If Africa were truly capable of self-reliance, then there would be absolutely no concern about foreign aid cuts, as the continent would simply co-operate through dispersing funds from the already set aside programmes around aid and foreign development. Eritrean dictator Isaias Afwerki was a trailblazer for eliminating USAID funding while rejecting World Bank and IMF loans. 8 As bold as an initiative this might seem, the most recent United Nations Development Report in Eritrea ranked the nation 178th out of 193 countries in terms of HDI with a rating of 0.503. 9 Additionally, in a report on poverty in the nation, Ravinder Rena estimated that about two thirds of Eritreans were living in poverty, with more conservative estimates putting the figure at around 50%, a clear failure of the Afwerki experiment. 10 By contrast, we can see the massive boosts to living standards that loans gave to Seychelles, the highest- ranking African nation according to the Human Development Index whose economy flourished after going through IMF reforms in 2008. 11 An IMF report cited socialist economic policies as the reason for repeated budget deficits and the accumulation of massive amounts of debt. The fund gave support through a 26-million-dollar loan agreement, as well as directing economic policy in the nation. The big anti-IMF arguments on the pan-African side is the lack of financial autonomy when taking loans. Frequently, the example of Nigeria is brought up, whose IMF loan in the 1980s came with conditions which devalued the naira and imposed austerity economic policies. The devaluation of oil made it cheaper on the global market, allowing the big-buying west to profit at Nigeria’s expense whilst austerity measures led to Nigeria being home to the most people in extreme poverty of any nation in 6 Mazhun I ‘USAID's funding of Boko Haram' stirs a storm in Nigeria’, at https://trt.global/afrika- english/article/18268288. Consulted 29/7/2025. 7 Cavalcanti, D, de Sales L, da Silva A, Basterra E, Pena D, Monti C, et al. (2025) ‘Evaluating the impact of two decades of USAID interventions and projecting the effects of defunding on mortality up to 2030: a retrospective impact evaluation and forecasting analysis,’ The Lancet 406: 283-294. 8 Wallis W. & A. Adeoye. The country that kicked out USAID at https://archive.is/qLMw5#selection-1499.0- 1499.33. Consulted: 29/7/2025. 9 United Nations Development Reports – Human Development Insights. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/country- insights#/ranks. Consulted 29/7/2025. 10 Rena, R. (2009) ‘Poverty in Eritrea: challenges and implications for development’, International Social Science Journal 60: 325–335. 11 Mathieu P. & Imam P. ‘ IMF Survey: Reforms, IMF Support Pull Seychelles Back From the Brink ’ at https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2015/09/28/04/53/socar063009a . Consulted 29/7/2025.
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