Where the US is cutting deals in Africa

(Riley Callanan, Natalie Johnson – GZero) Since his return to the White House last year, President Donald Trump has systematically gutted USAID, the government agency that oversees US efforts to improve health and education and fight poverty around the world. Most contracts were canceled, its budget was cut, and what was left of the agency’s functions were folded into the State Department. The Trump administration’s argument: USAID had become bloated, inefficient, and not valuable use of taxpayer money. But the administration has not abandoned foreign aid – it has reshaped it. Washington is channeling foreign aid through bilateral deals, many of which promise the US something in return. The 19 bilateral health agreements signed in Africa in the last year include only a fraction of the assistance distributed largely through USAID, and require many recipient governments to co-finance programs themselves. For example, in Nigeria, the US has offered about $2 billion in aid over five years – but only if the government raises its own health spending by $3 billion over the same period. Across the 26 countries around the world that have signed bilateral agreements so far, recipient governments are expected to cover roughly 37% of the nearly $20 billion total package. – Where the US is cutting deals in Africa – GZERO Media