I was having a chat with a friend of mine and told him that, “USAID is closing.” He answered, “What is closing?”, I answered, “USAID.” He answered,”I didn’t say anything is closing”, I said, “No, I mean the U.S. Agency for International Development is closing”, he answered, “Ohhhhhhh, now I get you!” then he laughed.
In early January of this year, President Donald Trump, with the support of Elon Musk, initiated actions to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Trump kept his word, because, on January 20, 2025, he signed an Executive Order 14169, titled “Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid,” which mandated a 90-day suspension of all U.S. foreign development assistance programs in order to conduct a comprehensive review. The Order criticised the existing foreign aid framework as misaligned with American values and interests. So, the State Department halted all foreign aid programs, with limited exceptions for emergency food assistance and specific military aid.
Adding on to the aid suspension, approximately 60 senior USAID officials were placed on administrative leave, a move perceived as an effort to suppress internal dissent and ensure compliance with the new directives. Concurrently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio assumed the role of acting administrator of USAID, signalling intentions to integrate the agency into the State Department. This restructuring led to the closure of USAID’s headquarters, suspension of numerous foreign assistance programs, and significant staff sacking.
Knowing the Americans never to be silent, the decision to dismantle USAID has sparked significant political complaints. Democratic lawmakers have condemned the move as unconstitutional and pledged to challenge it through legal avenues. The abrupt cessation of USAID’s operations has disrupted critical humanitarian initiatives worldwide, including programs addressing healthcare, education, and disaster relief.
Many people are already asking themselves – what next? Panic is rife the world over! That jobs will be lost, Office and residential owners will lose out on business and some sectors that were being funded will have no where to turn to. I ask myself, how long shall we always rely on foreign assistance in the form of funding and grants? This dependency syndrome is not good for the growth of a society or nation. I believe that this change will help us think outside the box because, we also have our own policies which need to be followed and acted upon. Usually, the one who has the money will set the terms and conditions. A beneficiary who is given money – for free, is never told to excercise free will on how to spend it. Things, the world over never remain the same, change always happens – lets embrace it.
