Lord St John of Bletso

COP28 President HE Dr Sultan Al Jaber speaks during the inaugural Africa Climate Summit where the UAE pledged USD $4.5bn in clean energy investments in Africa (Image: AFP)

Massive cuts in overseas aid from the US, UK, France and other members of the Development Assistance Committee (‘DAC’) are putting thousands of lives and livelihoods at stake in Africa. 

Lord St John of Bletso, Crossbench Member of the UK House of Lords and African affairs expert, says this approach is short-sighted.

When the Trump administration first announced that it would be eliminating more than 90% of the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) foreign aid contracts, many predicted that the impact would both be far-reaching and would severely impact the world’s poorest the hardest. 

However, we are only beginning to grasp the true extent of this disaster.

USAID is now being completely restructured, with 83% of its programmes being slashed and the remaining projects being absorbed by the State Department, while the deadline for President Trump to review the programmes has now passed.

Following the US’s cost cutting initiative, the UK and France have also announced drastic new cuts to their international development and aid programmes.

The USAID cuts alone are reported to have resulted in the cancellation of 5,200 of its 6,200 programmes, disruptions to the supply of HIV treatments in eight countries, the decimation of global climate finance programmes, and will invariably risk the loss of many thousands of lives.

In the UK, there was a public outcry in 2021 when aid spending was reduced from 0.7% to 0.5% of Gross National Income (GNI), as well as criticism that the closure of the Department for International Development (DFID) would seriously erode the UK’s global standing, diplomatic approach, and more importantly its soft power. 

More recently, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that the aid budget will be reduced to just 0.3% of GNI in 2027, a cut of about £6bn, which was allocated to humanitarian assistance and health services for those living in extreme poverty.

While the West appears to be scaling back from foreign aid, other countries are increasing their aid spending and their investment in Africa, sensing both opportunities for themselves as well as for the continent.

The Gulf states in particular are increasing their presence in Africa, with the UAE now considered to be almost Africa’s biggest investor largely focussed on humanitarian projects, infrastructure and renewable energy.

 In 2023, the UAE reportedly sent $636.9mn to Africa in foreign aid, accounting for 20% of the total foreign aid it provided.

The UAE has adopted a two-pronged proactive approach, providing both aid and humanitarian assistance on the one hand, while scaling up investments and economic partnerships on the other.

For Africa, the implications are clear.

This is a key alternative source for at least some of the $60bn that Western countries spend on aid in Africa, which the Economist noted equates to 4% of GNI for the median African country.

For the UAE, it offers investment opportunities in core industries, including logistics, agriculture, telecoms, mining, sustainability and renewable energy.

In 2023, the UAE provided over $3bn in foreign assistance, or 33% of GNI, dwarfing the UK’s proposed 0.3%. 42% of this $3bn was humanitarian aid, going towards the provision of food aid, medical supplies and field hospitals, development of infrastructure, refugee support and more.

One notable example was the recent visit by Sheikh Shakhboot Bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, the UAE Minister of State, to launch the Madhol Field Hospital in South Sudan, accompanied by South Sudanese officials, the Ethiopian Minister of State and humanitarian agencies.

The hospital is expected to provide treatment for up to two million people, and follows two other field hospitals in Amdjarass and Abéché.

The UAE also has used its diplomatic position to arrange humanitarian summits to coordinate support efforts, including the recent High-Level Humanitarian Conference for the People of Sudan in Addis Ababa in February 2024. 

The Conference brought together António Guterres, UN Secretary General, the Chair of the African Union Commission and delegations from international governments and humanitarian organisations. 

During the visit, the UAE announced an additional $200 million in aid for those affected by the conflict. It has since reiterated its calls for both parties to put an end to the conflict, highlighting the importance of unhindered humanitarian access and sustained international pressure.

The UK may not be able to compete with the UAE financially, not least due to the recent cuts, but it is vital that it positions itself strategically and considers what is best for its international reputation in the long-term, as well as what is morally right.

The UK now needs to seriously consider other alternatives in order to stay relevant on the continent. Appointing new trade envoys is simply not good enough.

Chatham House suggests that the UK should partner more with these Gulf countries to help fund their development efforts. 

As there are already close economic and diplomatic ties between the UK and UAE, including collaboration on issues such as food, security, defence and clean energy, partnering on international development projects would be a positive strategy for both parties.

The recent Conference for Sudan in London, hosted by the UK, the African Union, the EU, France and Germany, was attended by the UAE amongst others, and shows the benefits of a collaborative approach to aid, development and peace building. 

International development partnerships are not just beneficial for the UK, they are essential. 

By collaborating with global actors like the UAE, Britain can address its aid gap while maximising impact where it matters most. 

Western nations now risk sacrificing their international influence and global reputation at the altar of slashed aid budgets and funding cuts.

Despite the growing investment from non-Western countries, the withdrawal of funding from major donors will be felt keenly by those who are already struggling. 

While in the UK and US, it may simply be an attempt to balance the books and prioritise domestic concerns, in the recipient countries, it can be a matter of life and death.

The UAE’s approach brings benefits not just domestically but also across the African continent. 

Countries should be considering how adopting a more proactive approach to aid can help at home and abroad, rather than adopting short-sighted positions which will invariably harm their interests.

International organizations and influential UK figures are making their concerns known.

Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, recently praised the UAE’s ‘amazing problem-solving energy’ in delivering aid – a sentiment echoed by former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nadhim Zahawi, who highlighted the Gulf nation’s innovative humanitarian approach.

While other countries are starting to pick up the mantle, cuts to Western aid have created a vacuum which will have a lasting impact in Africa. As China, Russia and Gulf states rush to fill this void, the UK faces a critical opportunity to reassert its influence through partnerships, rather than ceding ground on the global stage.