UNITED States (US) President Donald Trump’s decision to halt the global power’s donor funding for 90 days pending policy review could affect several of its humanitarian projects in Zimbabwe which had been funded to the tune of approximately US$360 million in 2024.
Trump announced in an Executive Order yesterday that the US would institute a 90-day pause in foreign development assistance for assessment of programmatic efficiency and consistency with United States foreign policy.
Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion minister Mthuli Ncube in his 2025 national budget presented to and approved by Parliament last year said Zimbabwe was expecting at least US$800 million from development partners.
Estimates from the budget pronouncement placed the US donor funding, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAid), as one of the largest funders of aid programmes in Zimbabwe.
In the order, Trump said the US foreign aid industry and bureaucracy were not aligned with American interests and in many cases, antithetical to American values.
“They serve to destabilise world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries,” he said.
“It is the policy of United States that no further United States foreign assistance shall be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States.”
The Executive Order also ordered department and agency heads responsible for US foreign development assistance programmes to immediately pause new obligations and disbursement of development assistance funds to foreign countries.
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Also affected by the order are implementing non-governmental organisations, international organisations and contractors pending review of such programmes for programmatic efficiency and consistency with US foreign policy.
The responsible department and agency heads, in consultation with the director of Office of Management and Budget (OMB), are expected to make determinations within 90 days of the order to continue, modify or cease each foreign assistance programme based on the review recommendations.
The order further indicated that resumption of paused development assistance funding may take place prior to the end of the 90-day period.
“Additionally, any other new foreign assistance programmes and obligations must be approved by the Secretary of State or his designee, in consultation with the director of OMB,” the order read.
According to the Foreign Assistance Department, the US government pumped US$364 005 416 in Zimbabwe covering programmes such as Global Health, Agriculture and Food Security, Democracy, Rights and Governance including Environment programmes.
Other programmes include gender equality and women’s empowerment, and youth projects.
Among its top activities in Zimbabwe in 2024, the US dolled US$55,1 million to the Global Health Supply Chain, HIV and Aids Prevention and Treatment (US$21,8m), Target, Accelerate and Sustain Quality Care (US$21,2m), Food Security (US$20,5m) and Protection, Assistance and Solutions (US$20m).
The US also poured US$18,8m into humanitarian assistance, health assistance (US$17m), development food aid and food security activities (US$14m) and humanitarian health assistance (US$12,9m).
Top sectors included HIV and Aids programmes which received (US$182m), US$60m emergency response, development food aid and food security (US$37m), basic health (US$19,8m), governance and civil society (US$16,2m) and agriculture (US$6,7m).
Other initiatives funded by the US in Zimbabwe include environmental protection and general health.
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare ministry permanent secretary Simon Masanga yesterday said US government funding went directly to implementing partners.
“We do not work directly with USAid because their funding goes to implementing partners, who are engaged in various ongoing projects across the country,” he said.
“We will, however, engage USAid to understand the impact of the suspension on their programmes, which are at various levels of implementation across the country.”
But according to USAid, the US investment in Zimbabwe supports a broad portfolio of health programmes, providing treatment for and prevention of diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and malaria and helps to increase access to reproductive, maternal and child healthcare services for families.
“Through the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR), we help to reduce illness and deaths caused by the HIV epidemic, especially among women and children.
“In addition, the US President’s Malaria Initiative supports Zimbabwe’s national malaria programme by providing bed nets, spraying to eliminate mosquitoes and assistance in diagnosis and treatment to combat malaria in 45 districts,” it said.
In agriculture and food security, USAid, through Food for Peace, is the largest donor of humanitarian assistance in Zimbabwe, while the Feed the Future programme has helped over 200 000 smallholder farmers since 2010 to increase agricultural productivity, rural employment and household incomes through improved agricultural practices and strengthened commercial linkages to markets.
USAid promotes democratic governance by supporting Zimbabwean efforts to improve government accountability and responsiveness to citizens’ needs.
Through a regional environmental programme, USAid works with communities in the Limpopo River Basin to improve natural resources management and increase access to safe drinking water and sanitation services.
On Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, USAid promotes gender equality and seeks to ensure that development programmes have positive outcomes for both men and women.
“Sixty-one percent of Zimbabwe’s population is under the age of 35. USAid recognises youth participation as vital to Zimbabwe’s prosperity and ending vicious cycles of poverty, unemployment and pandemics.
“We partner young people, the private sector and civil society organisations to build the capacity of Zimbabwe’s future leaders, while contributing to economic growth and inclusive development,” the aid agency said.
