The UK government has announced a 56% cut in bilateral aid to African countries, reducing spending by nearly £900 million by 2028-29. The cuts, part of a broader £6 billion reduction in overseas development assistance, are intended to fund an increase in defence spending. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper described the move as a difficult but necessary choice in the face of international threats.
Aid agencies have condemned the cuts as the steepest in the G7, warning they will leave the UK's reputation in tatters and create a more unstable world. The reductions mean all aid to G20 countries except Turkey will be cut, with 70% of remaining support focused on fragile and conflict-affected states such as Palestine, Sudan, and Ukraine by 2029.
Countries including Afghanistan, Somalia, and Yemen will face reductions, though they will still receive funding through multilateral agencies. Mozambique and Pakistan will see almost all development aid replaced by investment partnerships. The crisis reserve for humanitarian emergencies has been cut from £85 million to £75 million.
Romilly Greenhill, CEO of Bond, the UK network for NGOs, stated: 'Africa and the Middle East, both home to some of the world’s least-developed countries, will be forced to pay the highest price because of the reduced budget.' Bond's analysis warns that children, people with disabilities, and older people in Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia will become more vulnerable, and fewer girls and disabled children will attend school in South Sudan.
Development Minister Jenny Chapman defended the cuts, arguing that some of the poorest African nations had expressed a preference for expertise partnerships over traditional aid. However, Labour MP Fleur Anderson criticised the move, saying: 'The government has on one hand increased defence spending in response to a more dangerous world, but on the other cut the investment that helps build stability before crises emerge.'
