Why African nations may turn to EU as Trump slashes aid
February 11, 2025President Donald Trump wasted no time in signing executive orders to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Climate Agreement. Along with billionaire aide Elon Musk, he has also been trying to shut down USAID, the United States Agency for International Development.
The US has long been a leading investor in global health, climate action and development aid. But Trump’s sudden directives to reverse the status quo may allow for other powers to expand geopolitical reach by investing heavily in health and climate initiatives, particularly across Africa.
A crucial moment for the EU
When Trump's administration cut WHO funding in 2020, Germany stepped in to fill the financial gap. The European Union could take a similar approach — but the bigger question is if the EU is ready to play a bigger role in Africa's future on health, climate, and geopolitics.
“In the long term all of us, not just the European Union but also countries in the global South, can use this as an opportunity to facilitate and enable a changing world order, a real multipolar world," Shada Islam, an EU analyst and commentator, told DW.
She adds that "there was a tendency in Europe to look to Washington DC to get the general trend of what they should be doing."
"The era of the EU, US, or Canada going in to determine the parameters of what happens in terms of global cooperation are long gone," she explains.
"The EU can only become an important power if it works in cooperation with the Global South and if it decolonizes its policies and actions."
The EU's ambitions are already clear: It aims to mobilize up to €300 billion in sustainable investments by 2027, half of that in Africa.
According to Nigeria-based Chukwumerije Okereke, who directs the Center for Climate and Development at Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Europe’s "historic and strategic connection" to Africa presents a massive opportunity.
"It’s not all about morality or saving Africa, it is in the strategic economic interest of the EU to invest in Africy," he told DW.
EU makes progress
Despite the geopolitical stakes, the European Commission remains optimistic. "The EU has a clear strategy in place to boost smart, clean, and secure links in digital, energy, and transport sectors, while also strengthening global health," spokesperson Guillaume Mercier said during a recent press briefing.
The European Union has increased investment across Africa, particularly through the Global Gateway initiative. This effort is part of a broader strategy to engage with partner countries around the world by investing in key sectors such as healthcare, clean energy, transportation, education, and climate action.
However, it took five years after Trump's first withdrawal in 2017 (from the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation) for the EU to launch the Global Gateway. Meanwhile, China wasted no time in increasing funding for climate projects in developing countries. According to the Washington-based World Resources Institute, China's investment skyrocketed to $7.12 billion in climate finance.
Today, as many analysts point out, China stands as Africa's largest single-country investor, while the EU lags behind.
Beijing is not hesitating this time, either. Within days of Trump's executive order to withdraw from the WHO, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun reaffirmed China's support for the WHO, pledging to deepen international public health cooperation and strengthen global health governance.
Why Trump’s foreign policy shift matters for African nations
Trump's foreign policy shakeup and tariff threats have sent a chill through European diplomatic circles. But for Africa nations, the repercussions could be more severe.
"The impact of climate change in Africa will worsen," Okereke said. African nations stand at the epicenter of climate impact, with droughts, floods, and rising sea levels already a problem. An American exit from the Paris Agreement could weaken efforts to cap global temperatures at a critical 1.5°C threshold.
Washington's withdrawal from the WHO means less funding for essential healthcare programs. The US spent $1.28 billion during the 2022–2023 period. Faced with this shortfall, African governments may turn to other partners.
US halts foreign aid
The Trump administration’s shuttering of USAID leaves some Africa-based aid programs battling to find alternatives to sustain pressing humanitarian and development plans.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the US was the largest contributor to international foreign aid among its members in 2023, accounting for approximately 64.69 percent of total contributions, followed by Germany.
"The EU must step up," argued Okereke, not only for Africa's health, climate and aid interests at this crucial time, but also for "its own strategic and political influence on the continent."
Edited by: Cai Nebe