Losing funds should force leaders to confront their own challenges, they said, while many voiced concerns over increasing foreign influence A quarter of young Africans believe aid…

Losing funds should force leaders to confront their own challenges, they said, while many voiced concerns over increasing foreign influence A quarter of young Africans believe aid cuts by the US could have a positive impact, saying that losing foreign money will force leaders to confront and solve their own challenges, according to a new survey. In Ghana and Nigeria, almost half (41% and 40% respectively) of young people aged 18 to 24 were optimistic, with Liberia not far behind (37%). A further one in 10 (11%) young people were uncertain about the impact, according to the African Youth Survey, which interviewed almost 5,000 people across 16 of the continent’s 54 recognised countries. The Trump administration announced in early 2025 that it was eliminating more than 90% of USAID’s foreign contracts and $60bn in overall US assistance around the world. US foreign aid had been designed to play a critical role in tackling poverty, hunger and inequality worldwide. Other countries, including Britain, France and Germany, have also been slashing aid budgets. The UK announced in February 2025 that the aid budget would be cut from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3% in 2027, its lowest level as a percentage of national income since records began. The UN target is 0.7%. Ivor Ichikowitz, whose South African family foundation commissioned the report, said: “The big picture [from the survey] is that the youth is concerned about governments that are overly influenced by foreign powers. What they’re saying is that African governments need to take agency and responsibility for their own reality.” Africa has the youngest population in the world, with 70% of sub-Saharan Africa under the age of 30, according to the UN. The median age of the continent is 19 years and six months. By 2030, Africa will be home to more than 40% of the world’s youth. The sudden USAID cuts were met with public outrage and pushback from development and humanitarian organisations. They caused the closure of vital services, including maternity clinics, and medicine shortages at a time when UN agencies are struggling to find money for their humanitarian work and food insecurity has been worsened by the climate crisis.