The United States government has suspended funding for HIV treatment in Nigeria and other developing nations following an executive order by President Donald Trump.
the administration moved on Tuesday to stop the distribution of drugs for HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, as well as medical supplies for newborn babies, in countries supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The U.S. is the largest single donor of aid globally, disbursing $72 billion in 2023.
The directive, which was signed on his first day in office, but took effect on Tuesday (today) instructed all government agencies managing foreign development aid programmes to immediately halt the disbursement of funds.
As a result, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has ceased operations for at least 90 days, leaving global health funding temporarily frozen.
With an annual budget of $6.5 billion, PEPFAR provides treatment for over 20.6 million people worldwide and has saved an estimated 26 million lives. However, the US State Department defended the decision, stating, “The United States is no longer going to blindly dole out money with no return for the American people.”
Nigeria, home to about two million people living with HIV, is heavily dependent on PEPFAR for life-saving medications and healthcare support. Over the years, the initiative has contributed more than $6 billion to Nigeria’s national HIV/AIDS response.
Health experts warn that the suspension or potential termination of the programme will have devastating consequences, threatening access to treatment and hindering efforts to control the virus.
While there is speculation that Marco Rubio’s appointment as Secretary of State could reinstate PEPFAR due to his past support for the initiative, no exemption has been announced.
This development comes as President Trump’s White House ordered a pause in all federal grants and loans starting on Tuesday, a sweeping decision that could disrupt education, health care and poverty programmes, housing assistance, disaster relief and a host of other initiatives that depend on trillions of federal dollars.
The freeze followed Trump’s suspension of foreign aid last week, a move that began cutting off the supply of lifesaving medicines on Tuesday to countries around the world that depend on U.S. development assistance.
