• Wednesday, February 05, 2025
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Full list: Here’re top 10 countries that received the most from USAID

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As President Donald Trump stops the activities of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in his latest string of cuts to government-funded programs, many have argued the choice to shut it down could have a profound impact on humanitarian activities around the world.

Over the last two weeks, the new U.S. administration has frozen billions of dollars to the agency charged with delivering humanitarian assistance overseas.

Read also: Nigeria scrambles as Trump cuts healthcare funding

Created over 60 years ago, USAID was a way to provide financial assistance to other countries to increase U.S. influence in those places and to counter similar foreign aid programs by other major powers.

Since returning to the White House last month, Trump and his allies have prioritised slashing government funding with USAID being its latest focus.

According to data curated by Statista, Ukraine is the country that received the most aid from USAID possibly due to the ongoing war between the Eastern Europe country and Russia, having $16,021 million disbursement in 2023.

Ethiopia, Jordan, Afghanistan and Somalia make up the top five and they received $1.67 million, $1.19 million, $1.08 million and $1.04 million respectively in the period under review.

Meanwhile, countries like DR Congo, Syria, Nigeria, Yemen and South Sudan make up the remaining top 10 beneficiaries of the US aids with each receiving $936 million, $895 million, $824 million, $812 million and $740 million accordingly.

Read also: How USAID shutdown will impact Nigeria

But the scrapping of the aids may be detrimental for Nigeria that is contending with lower revenue generation.

USAID has been actively engaged in the country, implementing a wide range of programs aimed at addressing critical development challenges and promoting sustainable growth.

The agency has spent millions of dollars in annual funding to Nigeria’s key sectors like health, agriculture, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), education, humanitarian assistance, and democratic governance since 1960.

Read also: Full list: US foreign aid to Nigeria from 2015 to 2024

In 2024, USAID’s funding to Nigeria included a notable commitment of $2.3 million for procuring 4.8 million doses of malaria tablets from Swiss Pharma, aimed at combating malaria in the country.

Additionally, the agency has provided nearly $100 million in previously announced funding for various urgent needs, which encompasses health initiatives and disaster preparedness efforts.

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