Trump Stops HIV Funding For Nigeria, Other Developing Countries, Gives Reason
- United States President Donald Trump has halted HIV funding for Nigeria and other developing countries
- President Trump signed an executive order restricting all US government agencies to halt disbursement of funds
- The US State Department spokesperson, Tammy Bruce, has given the reason for the American President's choice
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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 7 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international events
Washington DC, United States - US President Donald Trump has halted the financial support for HIV treatment in Nigeria and other developing countries.
The US State Department has stopped disbursing funds from the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for a three-month period.
Source: Getty Images
The exceptions to this new directive are emergency humanitarian assistance and military financing for Israel and Egypt.
This follows President Trump’s executive order on foreign aid, signed on his first day in the Oval Office on Monday, January 20.
PEPFAR is a programme for HIV treatment in Africa and developing countries that was created by President George W. Bush in 2003 to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS and save lives.
Now, however, all US government agencies managing foreign development assistance programmes have been instructed to halt the disbursement of funds.
Speaking on this decision, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said:
“The United States is no longer going to blindly dole out money with no return for the American people.”
As reported by NPR, PEPFAR would likely suspend operations for at least three months, sending shockwaves through the global health community.
The AIDS relief program has an annual budget of $6.5 billion and helps to deliver HIV/AIDS treatment to more than 20.6 million people.
The US State Department fact sheet showed that PEPFAR has saved the lives of an estimated 26 million people since its inception.
Asia Russell, executive director of the HIV access organization Health GAP, said halting funding would be 'catastrophic' and 'much more cruel'.
"He is doing irreparable harm to the global AIDS response."
How Trump halting HIV funding will affect Nigeria
Over the years, PEPFAR has contributed over $6 billion to support Nigeria’s national HIV/AIDS response, according to Premium Time.
The suspension or halting of the programme would likely affect efforts to control HIV in Nigeria, where around two million people are living with the virus.
Many Nigerians living with HIV are benefitting from PEPFAR
Legit.ng also reported that President Trump signed an executive order to begin the US's exit from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The order to withdraw the US from the international health body was one of many executive orders Trump signed on his first day in office.
During his first tenure in office, he was critical of how the organisation handled the COVID-19 pandemic, which had originated in China.
Trump's executive orders that may affect Nigeria
Meanwhile, Legit.ng also previously reported that President Trump issued over 200 executive orders on his first day in office.
Trump's executive orders cut across immigration, climate, pardons, and foreign policy, with many expected to be contested.
However, some of these executive orders signed by the US President would have an impact on Nigeria and other African countries.
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Source: Legit.ng
