Tough choices for Africa’s HE sector amid US aid rethink

As the higher education sector in Africa continues to consider the current and future implications of the United States’ foreign aid freeze since January, the development has provided further momentum to rethink long-term higher education funding strategies on the continent – a shift that has already started to take shape in some North-South scientific collaborations.

Changing global power dynamics and aid priorities have been a catalyst for some of the changes in foreign aid, of which the US foreign aid freeze is only the latest, albeit extreme, example. Other countries have also been reprioritising their funding and funding structures, experts told University World News

The major geopolitical forces that have been affecting funding include US-China tensions and funding reallocations to crises such as Ukraine and the Middle East.

However, it is because the US is the largest provider of foreign aid globally that the freeze has been felt acutely, reports The Guardian, with annual allocations reaching nearly US$40 billion, much of it directed towards health, humanitarian and development programmes in the Global South. Last year, Africa received US$8 billion in US foreign assistance, according to the Congressional Research Service.

HE in Africa continues to feel impact

This week (10 February), the Africa University, a United Methodist-related higher education institution in Zimbabwe that runs a mosquito breeding programme at a research hub aimed at eliminating malaria, reported that 30 employees were not longer receiving their salaries, according to a news report in UM News, the official newsgathering agency of the United Methodist Church, according to its website.

Similarly, at Makerere University in Uganda, research projects on HIV/AIDS, largely funded by US grants, are in danger of being put on hold, undermining the fight against HIV/AIDS in Uganda.

At Uganda’s Kyambogo University, programmes focusing on special education and vocational training are facing an immediate crisis, while those designed to help students with disabilities are failing to obtain new funding which may exacerbate the situation for these groups.

Eutychus Ngotho Gichuru, a PhD student at Makerere University’s East African School of Higher Education Studies and Development, told University World News the freeze offers a clear example of the fragility of educational systems that rely almost heavily on foreign aid, in particular its college of education and external studies.

Speaking about the affected initiatives at Makerere University, such as HIV research and initiatives in education, he said sustaining programmes will be difficult without funding, setting off a general decline in academic standards.

These universities are part of the growing list of institutions in Africa that have reported on how they have been affected by the US’ reconsideration of the priorities of USAID in the next 90 days, but many American universities receive federal funding and research grants from organisations such as the United States’ National Institutes of Health, or NIH, and the National Science Foundation for collaborative research in the Global South, that may be in jeopardy.

University World News has been reporting on the immediate impact and expected consequences of the US aid decision on Africa’s higher education sector (see other reports from Nigeria in this edition), which are affecting aspects such as students’ international mobility, scholarship access to higher education as well as research in critical fields of study reliant on international collaboration.

Historical context

Professor Emnet Tadesse Woldegiorgis, the director of the Ali Mazrui Centre for Higher Education Studies at the University of Johannesburg, provided more historical context about USAID’s extensive involvement in Africa as well as examples of more recently launched initiatives which are affected.

Key USAID initiatives include the Africa-US Higher Education Initiative, launched in 2008 with a US$15 million investment, and the USAID Higher Education Solutions Network, or HESN, established in 2012 with a US$115 million budget to support eight major development projects across Africa, reinforcing the role of research in addressing pressing societal challenges.

More recently, in April 2023, USAID launched the ‘Transforming Higher Education Systems in Malawi’ project with a US$17 million investment in partnership with Michigan State University, to expand market-relevant university programmes.

Similarly, since 2020, USAID has funded the Center for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain-Africa, or CARISCA, a collaborative effort between Arizona State University and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, with a US$15 million grant aimed at advancing research and innovation in supply chain management.

In May 2024, USAID further expanded its strategic engagement by signing a historic Framework for Cooperation with the Government of Kenya to promote university-industry partnerships, fostering innovation, research, and job creation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, fields.

Some of the consequences revisited

Professor Mohamed Hassan, president of the Sudanese National Academy of Sciences and former head of the World Academy of Sciences in Italy, warned that the freeze could significantly hinder Africa’s progress in higher education.

“The suspension of US foreign assistance will slow the advancement of educational quality, sustainable development and innovation. It will also impact collaboration between African and US research institutions,” he told University World News.

Algerian economist Professor Abdelkader Djeflat echoed these concerns, noting that many African universities depend on US grants to fund research in critical areas such as climate change, public health and social development. “The sudden halt in funding could result in the loss of vital data and research progress,” he warned.

Professor Olusola Oyewole, the secretary general of the Association of African Universities, told University World News that Trump’s new policies can be expected to reduce the number of Africans studying in America.

He said mass deportations may target African students who may be undocumented.

“The policies of President [Donald] Trump may truncate the transformation of the US from being one of the more welcoming places for students from across the globe to come and study and learn, and for scholars to come and teach, to a place less welcoming and supportive to African students,” he said.

Fundamental change?

Professor Scarlett Cornelissen, a political scientist at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, told University World News that Trump’s move is more than a budgetary adjustment – it signals a broader shift in US foreign relations.

This suggests that, once the 90-day review ends, aid is unlikely to resume in its previous form because it reflects changing global power dynamics.

A ‘wake-up call’ for Africa

While the immediate consequences of Trump’s freeze are severe, some see it as an opportunity. Professor Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua, a law professor at the University of Ghana, suggested that the crisis could be a catalyst for change.

“At a time when Africa is pushing for decolonised knowledge production, Trump’s policy might actually be a blessing – if Africa’s political and university leaders respond wisely,” he told University World News.

Djeflat agreed, arguing that Africa should become more self-sufficient in higher education. “This is a valuable opportunity for African universities to embrace self-reliance and set their own research agendas,” he said.

This is not a new argument. African higher education leaders have long called for greater self-reliance, but declining international funding and shifting geopolitical priorities have made the issue more urgent than ever.

Woldegiorgis agrees with Appiagyei-Atua and Djeflat: “These funding cuts underscore the need for African universities to rethink how they finance research and sustain academic excellence.”

Also in agreement with the other experts is Professor Atta-ur-Rahman, a UNESCO Science Prize laureate and former coordinator general of the Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which includes 22 African states. He said African countries must take proactive steps to mitigate the impact of funding disruptions from international sources.

“By prioritising local funding, leveraging regional initiatives, building local capacity, expanding focus beyond health, encouraging South-South partnerships, and increasing government investment in research and development, African countries can become more self-sufficient in research and better equipped to address their unique challenges,” he said.

Gichuru said African governments should prioritise education in their budgets, and universities should engage with the private sector to establish scholarships, endowments and research grants aligned with market demands. He said the Trump aid freeze must be an invitation or opportunity to reinvent and strengthen its higher education architecture to achieve greater autonomy and resilience.

He suggested “creating collaborations with institutions outside the United States”. And, “Europe, Asia and elsewhere can offer alternative funding and incentive for academic mobility,” he added. “Universities need to take action with regard to cost management, adopt digital transformation to minimise their reliance on physical facilities and seek income-generating potential through provision of online courses and consultancy services.”

Strategies for self-reliance

With foreign funding shrinking, how can African higher education institutions achieve greater financial independence? Experts suggest a combination of approaches.

• Regional collaboration – “African universities can build a self-sustaining research ecosystem by pooling resources and engaging in partnerships,” Woldegiorgis said. Platforms like the African Research Universities Alliance, or ARUA, and the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, or CODESRIA, already foster regional knowledge production, but these efforts must be expanded. “Universities should form multi-country research consortiums, share infrastructure, and collectively seek funding from African philanthropists, private-sector actors and regional development banks.”

• Increased domestic investment – African governments have pledged to allocate 1% of GDP to research, yet the actual average is only 0.45%, according to the World Bank. “A commitment to increasing domestic R&D funding would be a game-changer,” Woldegiorgis said.

• Public-private partnerships – Djeflat emphasised the need for policy frameworks that encourage private-sector investment in higher education. “The AU [African Union] should facilitate partnerships between universities and international donors, corporations and philanthropic organisations,” he suggested.

• Continental higher education fund – Djeflat also proposed a dedicated pan-African fund for higher education, financed by African Union member states. “This would provide a stable, long-term funding mechanism to support research and development.”

• Diversifying global partnerships – “To sustain and strengthen the progress made through the United States and other foreign assistance programmes, African countries must expand partnerships with both the Global North and South,” Hassan said.

• Alumni – Said Gichuru: “Alumni networks can also be tapped to help universities endowments support scholarships and research activities.”

Trump’s freeze worsens an already precarious situation for African higher education, but implementing these counter strategies might be easier said than done.

The shifting global aid landscape

Development economist Professor Elsabé Loots of the University of Pretoria has been tracking foreign aid trends for years. In a lecture at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study in November 2024, she noted that Africa’s share of global aid has dropped from 35% in 2020 to 26% in 2022 – the lowest level since 2001.

Loots linked this decline to US-China tensions and funding reallocations to geopolitical crises such as Ukraine and the Middle East.

Could China fill the gap?

Cornelissen described Trump’s actions as “short-sighted” and actually counterproductive to US influence. “China is now a respected economic and scientific power, already wielding influence through BRICS, an intergovernmental organisation consisting of 10 countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates – research collaborations and the BRICS-STI framework,” she noted.

China’s higher education cooperation with Africa dates back to the 1950s and has expanded to include joint research, vocational training and scholarships, as highlighted in a recent book chapter by M Tang, J Wang and A Baskaran.

However, Loots cautioned that China’s model is different from traditional Western aid. While China has become Africa’s largest individual donor, its assistance is often tied to infrastructure projects, natural resource extraction and economic agreements – raising concerns about debt burdens.

EU and ‘science diplomacy’

The European Union (EU) has long been a major research funder in Africa, supporting initiatives like Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and the Africa Investment Package under the Global Gateway strategy.

Cornelissen noted that science diplomacy – using research collaborations as a geopolitical tool – is now central to the EU’s foreign policy. The bloc already has a framework to strengthen African-European research ties.

“The EU is particularly concerned about China’s dominance in science and technology. Its science diplomacy aims to limit China’s foothold in the Global South,” she said.

Woldegiorgis argues that Trump’s aid freeze is part of a broader global trend, not just a US phenomenon.

“Over the past three years, similar shifts have emerged across Europe, indicating a wider retrenchment in international development aid for higher education,” he told University World News.

He pointed to recent decisions by European governments that signal a declining commitment to funding African higher education. “The Netherlands, for example, recently shut down Nuffic offices in Africa, including in Benin, Ethiopia, and South Africa – effectively closing one of its longest-standing development agencies,” he said. Nuffic focuses on advancing internationalisation.

Founded over 70 years ago, Nuffic has historically played a key role in education and capacity-building initiatives in low- and middle-income countries.

According to Woldegiorgis, Norway is also reassessing its development aid commitments, with ongoing discussions about the feasibility of continuing funding through Norad, the Norwegian agency for development cooperation. And, in 2024, the Finnish government announced significant budget cuts to development cooperation, directly impacting higher education funding.

These shifts suggest that, while the EU remains an important funder of African research, it is unlikely to fully compensate for the shortfall left by the US. Instead, European funding is increasingly being redirected towards strategic priorities such as climate change, security and geopolitical stability.

What next for African universities?

As the US aid freeze progresses, African higher education faces difficult choices.

Hoping for a return to previous levels of US funding seems unrealistic. Even if aid resumes, Africa’s share of global development funds is declining.

China’s involvement in Africa is growing, but its focus on infrastructure and economic deals may not align with university needs.

The EU’s science diplomacy could offer a lifeline, but funding will likely be selective and concentrated in fields such as climate research.

It seems clear that, with foreign aid becoming an increasingly unreliable pillar of Africa’s higher education system, the continent’s universities must develop alternative strategies to secure long-term research sustainability urgently – or risk stagnation.