The UK government’s decision to reduce its foreign aid spending from 0.5% to 0.3% of national income is expected to significantly affect education and health initiatives in several African countries, according to a newly released Foreign Office impact assessment.
The cut, part of a broader strategy to increase defense spending to 2.5% of national income, follows a “line-by-line strategic review” of the aid budget. The review prioritized funding for multilateral institutions such as the World Bank’s International Development Association and the Gavi vaccine alliance, while bilateral programs in countries across Africa will see substantial reductions.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) assessment indicated that cuts will affect programs focused on women’s health, sanitation, and education. Countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe are among those facing reduced support.
Education programs for vulnerable children will be reduced or stopped. In the DRC, a girls’ education project will end early in 2025–2026, affecting about 170,000 children in Kasai. Similar cuts are planned in Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe.
The FCDO warned that reductions in health spending could lead to a higher burden of disease and increased mortality, especially among women, children, and individuals with disabilities. The Ending Preventable Deaths program will also face prioritization, which will limit its reach across 11 countries.
Critics cautioned that the aid reductions could endanger vulnerable populations, with Lisa Wise of Save the Children UK stressing they may lead to child fatalities. UNICEF called the decision “deeply short-sighted” and urged the government to direct more aid toward children.
While the UK government defended the cuts as part of a more focused and efficient strategy, aid groups warned that communities experiencing conflict and inequality would bear the greatest burden.
