Africa’s Shift From Aid Dependency and How Sanctions Harm Health

Editors' Note

This week, renowned ethologist Jane Goodall's chimpanzee conservation project in Tanzania became the latest casualty of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) overhaul, as officials reneged on a $29.5 million pledge to the conservation institute. The decision serves as a reminder that U.S. diplomacy has long delved into science and the environment, along with supporting global health.

Joshua Glasser, U.S. Department of State's former head of strategy for global health security and diplomacy, draws on his own career to illustrate how the massive cuts to health and science diplomacy jeopardize the United States' ability to protect its citizens. He reminds readers that the United States should cooperate with countries through scientific collaboration as well as diplomacy to achieve climate and health goals.

All is not doom and gloom. As countries around the world struggle with the void left by USAID, some see this moment as an opportunity to reshape their health systems. Nigeria's Minister of Health Muhammad Ali Pate and Unitaid Executive Director Philippe Duneton highlight how Nigeria is amplifying local investment and leveraging its strong leadership to bolster regional pharmaceutical manufacturing and build resilience among African nations.

The edition ends by flipping from the topic of aid to sanctions. Journalist Hannah Crowe explores a recent Lancet study about how aid sanctions harm health programs. The findings show that sanctions, normally considered a geopolitical tool, can disrupt medicine imports, inflate health costs, and deter humanitarian aid, affecting more than 25% of the world's population living in sanctioned countries.

Until next week!—Nsikan Akpan, Managing Editor, and Caroline Kantis, Associate Editor