Can NGOs in Africa survive without billions in U.S. aid under Trump 2.0
- As Washington assumes ‘America First’ position, NGOs in Africa that are heavily dependent on U.S. aid face a stark choice either to collapse or reinvent themselves quickly through diversification, innovation, and local ownership.
As President Donald Trump’s second year in office gathers pace, a controversial yet vital question grips the boardrooms of NGOs in Africa: how long can they survive without billions of dollars in American foreign aid?
Washington has over the decades been the largest contributor to international development, with subsidies to health, education, democracy promotion, and humanitarian assistance channeled via USAid, which ceased operations on 1st July 2025.
A year without billions in U.S. aid flowing into Africa is certainly an indication of a radical change of course under Trump 2.0. America First suggests reduced altruism in foreign policy, more utilitarian diplomacy, and fewer dollars in the pot of money for civil society groups.
The impact has been far and wide across Africa. For decades, many NGOs in Africa have been developing their budgets based on the U.S. grants. And this is why the sudden pull-out of USAid triggered potential failure of core programs as well as mass layoffs of staff and loss of provision of services to needy communities in Africa.
Even worse, Trump 2.0 has conditionalized aid to the interest of strategy and not humanitarian need. Democracy activists, gender equality movement activists, and the climate action groups might be sidelined. And when Washington leaves, the effect is felt worldwide: other donors tend to do the same, which places NGOs in a catch twenty two position.
Why donor funding crisis may be a turning point
However, for resilient organizations, this donor funding crisis may be a turning point. Dependence on U.S. support has turned out to be a double edged sword. And many NGOs are now left with a stark decision either hold onto thinning U.S. donor aid or recalibrate their funding models fast.
Many will find that diversification is no longer a preference, but a must have option in order to keep delivering their services. Some of the available sources of aid that NGOs might consider are: the European Union, private philanthropy, diaspora contributions, and South-South cooperation frameworks.
What’s more, emerging economic powers such as China, India, and Brazil are investing in new development partnerships, which is redefining the donor sphere. These are the opportunities that NGOs should utilize or face the risk of being irrelevant.
Another way out is enhancing local ownership. Less reliance on U.S. aid may enable NGOs to empower community-based fundraising, establish social enterprises, and form income-generating projects that will ensure independence. The new sources of financing directly through citizens all around the globe are presented by digital platforms, crowdsourcing, blockchain funding, and mobile money.
The response to the policy should be daring. Aid-dependent governments must promote local philanthropy by leveraging tax exemption and the corporate social responsibility model. NGOs need to establish alliances across regions so that they can share resources and experience in order to minimize redundancy and increase resiliency.
Read also: USAID shut down: Africa on edge as Musk, Trump end almost a century of global aid
Trump 2.0 might trigger reevaluation of NGOs’ models, creating new age of resilience
Capacity building to include financial management, grant writing, and impact measurement will assist the attracting of different sources of financing to the NGOs. Unconventional players, consisting of the actors of the private sector, religious communities, and diasporas, should be recruited to offset declining U.S. donations.
To survive, NGOs in the post-Trump aid environment will be determined by how they adapt. Although the American aid has traditionally been a lifeline, it has also created dependency.
Diversification, innovation, and local ownership are not survival tactics but the ways to become stronger, more autonomous organizations. Such a change may eventually lead to NGOs that are less prone to the political will of Washington and more responsible to the communities that they serve.
Trump 2.0 might cause a reevaluation of the NGOs’ models, yet it might lead to the new age of resilience. The question is whether NGOs will use this opportunity to get out of the dependency and make their own way. When they do, they will not have to wait to see the end of U.S. aid dominance but rather the dawn of a worldwide-based civil society that is more free.
Op-Ed by Dotto Francis Roche and Tanyarazwa Hope Mtizwa, who are both students of International Relations at Africa University in Zimbabwe.
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