Following the abrupt withdrawal of billions in aid by the U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this year, finance ministers across East Africa have responded with increased health spending to cover critical shortfalls.
The cuts, part of Trump’s broader protectionist approach and trade war policies, sent ripple effects globally, but few regions have felt the sting more sharply than Africa.
The U.S. withdrawal has already cost the continent tens of thousands of healthcare jobs.
For many of the 17 million Africans living with HIV, two-thirds of the global total, access to life-saving treatment is becoming increasingly fragile, according to Bloomberg.
In sub-Saharan Africa, which remains the epicenter of the global HIV crisis, new infections continue to mount each year.
Statista data confirms the urgency: millions remain infected, with thousands more diagnosed annually, intensifying the pressure on national health systems.
Vincent Bagambe, Planning Director at the Uganda AIDS Commission, warned that recent progress made in combating HIV/AIDS is at serious risk of unraveling.
“Without swift action,” he said, “the cuts could reverse years of progress in reducing new HIV infections and curbing AIDS-related deaths.” East African governments are now taking matters into their own hands.
In budget announcements for the 2025–26 fiscal year delivered on Thursday, Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya unveiled new plans to plug the widening financial gap.
Combined, these countries had been allocated roughly $200 million in U.S. HIV/AIDS assistance for 2024, support that has now vanished.
Uganda, widely recognized for its aggressive HIV response, plans to spend an additional 116.8 billion Ugandan shillings (about $32 million) on antiretroviral drugs, according to Finance Minister Matia Kasaija.
With approximately 1.5 million people living with HIV and a national prevalence rate of 5.1%, the country was the fifth-highest recipient of U.S. HIV/AIDS support in 2024, receiving $194 million, Statista reports.
In Tanzania, Finance Minister Mwigulu Nchemba confirmed that the government has already released more than 82 billion shillings (around $31.8 million) to cover funding shortfalls.
Tanzania had previously received $166 million in U.S. HIV/AIDS assistance last year. Kenya, the region’s economic powerhouse, is following suit.
Treasury Secretary John Mbadi announced a 17.3 billion shillings (approximately $134 million) allocation to the Global Fund, which supports programs targeting HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis.
An additional 4.6 billion shillings will be directed toward vaccines and immunization efforts.
The funding shifts signal a regional effort to blunt the impact of Washington’s aid exit and maintain momentum in public health initiatives.
But with mounting costs and deepening needs, the burden of sustaining progress against HIV/AIDS is increasingly falling on domestic shoulders.
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