HE destitute as US aid freeze leaves desperation in its wake

Academics and students in Malawi have bemoaned the loss of funding from the now largely dismantled United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which has harmed some higher education projects in agriculture, science, technology, engineering and health as well as ending students’ scholarships.

The losses have followed the immediate 90-day freeze on US federal government foreign aid upon the 20 January inauguration of US President Donald Trump.

The decision has impacted higher education in Malawi, one of the world’s poorest countries, with an annual GDP per head of US$602, according to World Bank data, compared to the US$82,760 per head in the US.

Suspended project funding

A range of projects have lost funding and have been suspended. One is the Transforming Higher Education Systems (THES) project, in which the US government invested US$17 million over five years in 2023 to help more students enrol and complete science, technology, engineering and mathematics programmes in Malawi.

The project, which targets students from marginalised and vulnerable backgrounds such as adolescent girls and young women and persons with disabilities, was being implemented by Michigan State University and Malawi higher education institutions.

The US-based higher education institution did not reply to University World News’ questions on whether it was still supporting the project.

Malawi universities that had been hoping to benefit from this programme for another five years included the Malawi University of Science and Technology, Mzuzu University, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Malawi, The Catholic University of Malawi, Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences, University of Livingstonia, Malawi Adventist University, DMI St John the Baptist University and Malawi Assemblies of God University.

Through the project, USAID and its partners aimed to expand high-quality, market-relevant university programmes for students, and boost the ability of Malawian universities to advance innovation, productivity and competitiveness of Malawian industry.

The THES had succeeded in the US$9.8 million Strengthening Higher Education Access in Malawi Activity, or SHEAMA, project which USAID implemented through Arizona State University from 2018 to 2022, with the same objectives.

‘Forced to drop out’

Another project that has been defunded was a Higher Education for Youth Prosperity Through Agriculture Project worth US$25 million to increase youth entry in post-secondary education institutions, building personnel capacity in agricultural value chains.

Also suspended is a project involving the Malawi College of Health Sciences, a public institution which primarily trains health workers and has campuses in Blantyre, Zomba and Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital. It was using a US$2.3 million USAID grant to fund a range of courses and projects.

The college’s executive director, Dr Alice Kadango, told University World News: “The USAID-funded project was earmarked to support a total of 574 students over a period of five years, supporting them with tuition fees, accommodation and upkeep. When the project was terminated, it had supported 419 students, of which some are yet to finish their studies.

“Many of these students may be forced to drop out due to a lack of alternative funding, reducing the number of trained healthcare professionals in the country. The future enrolment of students may decline as many of the students were coming from very poor families, weakening our ability to contribute to Malawi’s healthcare workforce.

“The termination of the funding has placed us in a critical position, threatening [the college’s] ability to deliver quality healthcare education,” she told University World News. “Urgent measures are needed to mitigate these effects and ensure that we continue to play a key role in training Malawi’s healthcare professionals,” she said.

Through the project, the institution recruited 10 clinical preceptors (experienced healthcare mentors) to support clinical teaching at healthcare facilities and six specialised lecturers under a USAID salary support programme. The defunct agency also supported the institution’s curriculum development, as well as teaching and learning resources such as laboratory and ICT equipment.

“Without these, the college faces challenges in delivering quality of education,” said Kadango.

Projects on hold

Meanwhile, Alfred Maluwa, the director of research and outreach professor at the Malawi University of Science and Technology, told University World News the aid freeze has impacted the university’s programmes under USAID such as research, innovation hubs, student scholarships and conservation projects.

Maluwa explained that the university is now attempting to “bridge the gap from its budget, though it is not sustainable”.

Another hit has been at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, which was running a Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy in Malawi project, part of USAID’s threatened Feed the Future initiative, which has been funding agricultural research and food security schemes.

The public university had also been implementing a USAID-funded project aimed at conservation of the Lilongwe River catchment area.

The two projects are now on hold following the financing freeze.

Emergency measures needed

Malawi Public Universities’ Students Union president Gershom Nyirenda argued to University World News that the Malawi government should treat as an emergency the aid freeze for these programmes and scholarships and that “immediate action needs to be taken by both government and other stakeholders”.

He explained: “We want [the] government to come in quickly and assist the affected students who are stranded due to the aid freeze by the US government.

“We have been writing to government to arrange for a meeting with the minister of higher education to request prompt support for these students.

“We have also been liaising with respective universities on the issue. They confirmed the situation is dire and they will be communicating with their respective student bodies on the way forward.”

Also, Benedicto Kondowe, the executive director of Malawi NGO Civil Society Education Coalition, said it was the Malawi government’s responsibility to ensure that students and university projects suffering from the American cuts are given alternative funding.

He said: “The aid freeze by the United States has had a devastating impact on Malawi’s education sector, particularly in higher education where vulnerable students who relied on USAID scholarships now face an uncertain future.

“It is deeply concerning that promising students have been left destitute, while critical USAID-funded infrastructure, research and capacity-building projects in public universities and colleges have been suspended. This undermines progress towards equitable access to quality education and threatens to widen existing inequalities.”

Kondowe recommended that the Malawi government diversify higher education funding sources going forward: “Malawi must urgently prioritise sustainable financing for education by increasing domestic resource allocation in line with the Incheon commitments following the World Education Forum’s 2015 declaration on inclusive education.”

“We also urge the government to strengthen governance, transparency and accountability in public service delivery to rebuild donor confidence.

“Moreover, it is crucial to diversify funding sources by engaging the private sector, leveraging public-private partnerships, and investing in home-grown scholarship schemes to protect students from future shocks,” he said.

Alternative funding

In response, Malawi’s Minister of Higher Education, Dr Jessie Kabwila, said her ministry had already rolled out an action plan to provide alternative funding for stranded students and the projects.

She said: “We have advised universities to absorb students that were under USAID scholarships. But, where institutions have exhausted all channels, the ministry has been engaging local and international partners to support the students.”

Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera, commenting on the aid freeze earlier this year as a guest on Podcast Malawi, said: “Today’s misfortunes could lead to good fortunes tomorrow. A child sometimes grows the same day his father dies. Because, let’s face it, this is truly a global village. You have bilateral relations, but you also have multilateral relations and we need to navigate these things.”

Though the 90-day US aid freeze expired on 20 April, the US government announced an extension for another 30 days while USAID support remains in abeyance.

Responding to questions from University World News about the cuts to Malawi higher education aid, Grant Phillipp, the public affairs officer at the US embassy in Lilongwe, said: “The United States continues to reorient foreign assistance programmes to align directly with what makes America stronger, safer and more prosperous.”

He added: “We are continuing essential lifesaving programmes and making strategic investments that strengthen our partners and the United States.”