Lessons from USA aid freeze: A beggar has no honour

By Daily Revelation Editor

Newly sworn-in United States of America (USA) President Donald Trump has announced a flurry of executive orders that will have an impact on the global population, including Zambia.

Among the most critical executive orders Trump has issued includes a 90-day freeze on all foreign aid spending, until a review is conducted to line up with US interests.

Zambian too has been affected in this regard, including question marks on the Lobito Corridor that was prioritised by the former administration of Joe Biden for future transportation of essential minerals, such as cobalt and copper, to aid the navigation towards electric vehicles. However, the new administration has done away with the electric vehicle mandate, saying people must drive what they want.

Coming back to the 90-day freeze on aid, USA Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a memo clarifying that the freeze includes current assistance programmes, including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and USAID, which is feared will hamper global efforts to fight tuberculosis (T.B).

Each year, the United States contributes US$6.5 billion to fight HIV in 50 countries around the world, something that has been credited with saving 26 million lives since its launch by then president George Bush, with a total of $100 billion having been spent.

The CIDRAP states that PEPFAR pays for antiretroviral treatments for 222,000 people, and the tests of more than 224,000 people annually, including funding more than 7,000 cervical cancer screening each year, and providing care for more than 3,500 women each year experiencing gender-based violence.

With over $4.7 billion since 2000 on fighting T.B, USAID is also under freeze.

Besides that, Trump has also announced the US’s withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (WHO), which will further complicate matters.

With a lot of Zambians on Antiretroviral viral treatment already, and many others benefiting from the services of other interventions mentioned, there is a health risk, unless emergency measures are employed by the government to cover that three months’ gap. In fact, the priority should not just be about covering the three months’ gap because it’s possible that this aid will never be restored again, particularly given the America First agenda of the Trump administration. The policy may actually outlive Trump, especially if he is succeeded by someone from the same MAGA movement he espouses.

The Zambian government should immediately come up with a plan of action on how they will circumvent the absence of this donor aid. Rather than anxiously waiting for the Americans to review the freeze, the government should tell Zambians what initiatives they will come up with to ensure sustainable and seamless delivery of services to the anxious millions in the country, now and for the future.

Economist Manase Siwila says the country is now in limbo, having already passed the 2025 national budget, which he said required examining everything given the challenges brought about by Trump’s executive order.

The actions taken by Trump should teach our leaders important lessons about reducing dependence on foreign entities. This country is richly endowed, to the extent that if well managed, there would be no room for us to require donor funding in order to survive. What the country needs is a patriotic leadership that prioritises the wellbeing of the Zambian people, by utilising their resources endowment to their benefit. We can’t continue living in the same business-as-usual style when the world around us is changing. There is no dignity in begging.

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