Development

The sudden dissolution of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in February 2025 eliminated the leading US institution used to administer foreign aid assistance, redirecting approximately $34 billion in annual humanitarian and development funding to try and reduce the national deficit.[1] This action shows the fundamental shifts occurring in US foreign policy priorities due to the current administration; which stops new grants and contracts that helps establish global health, emergency relief, and economic development programs.[2]

Over the last few months, the news has been flooded with reports of intensive restructuring and mass layoffs in the U.S. government, largely at the hands of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). From Social Security and the Department of Veterans Affairs to the Department of Education, many aspects of the public sector are undergoing this controversial reshaping. One area where staffing cuts have made significant headlines is the Department of State.

On December 13-15, 2022, the White House hosted forty-nine leaders from across the African continent to the second U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. This historic event has only happened once before, in 2014 with former President Barack Obama. The purpose of the summit was several fold: to build trust with the many countries of the African continent, advance the interests of the African Union, to foster new economic activities, and more. This summit is seen as an important step in building better relationships with “a new, more prosperous Africa”, as President Obama said during the first summit. This year’s summit is especially important as it comes amid economic hardship across the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and a debt crisis for many African countries.