Donald Trump's closure of USAID hits Ghana

Ghana has already started feeling the impact of the temporary closure of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) by US President Donald Trump.

According to a leaked Ghana Health Service (GHS) letter, the closure of USAID has started disrupting the distribution of medical supplies in some parts of the country.

The letter, which was addressed to the Director-General of the GHS and was dated Friday, January 31, 2025, indicated that the decision of the US president has led to the suspension of services by the company that transports the drugs.

“I write to formally inform you of the suspension of USAID support for the Global Procurement Supply Chain activities through Chemonics, including the Last Mile Distribution (LMD) of health commodities. As a result, SkyNet Express, the logistics company engaged in transporting health commodities to service delivery points, has been directed to freeze its services for ninety (90) days.

“This development follows an Executive Order issued by U.S. President Donald Trump, leading to a global freeze on U.S. foreign aid. The immediate consequence is a significant disruption to the health supply chain, particularly in the Northern, North East, and Savannah Regions, which rely on the Northern Regional Medical Stores for commodity distribution,” parts of the letter stated, shared by Asaase Radio on X.

It was also stated in the letter that the closure of USAID would impact three key areas – Last Mile Distribution (LMD), Procurement and Supply Chain Management Support, and Public Health Programme Implementation.

The letter indicated that the Regional Health Management Team (RHMT) held an emergency meeting with District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) and the Budget Management Centre (BMC), and they have agreed that SkyNet Express should be engaged as a temporary measure to address the problem at hand.

About USAID and its closure:

The future of the US government's main overseas aid agency has been cast into doubt, with employees locked out and the Trump administration planning to merge it with the US Department of State.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) would continue to function as a branch of the state department, but the plan involves a significant reduction in its funding and the workforce, CBS News, the BBC's US partner, reports.

On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused USAID's leadership of "insubordination" and said he was now its "acting head".

US President Donald Trump and one of his top advisers, billionaire Elon Musk, have been strongly critical of the agency.

But the move to shut it down could have a profound impact on humanitarian programmes around the world.

What is USAID and what does it do?

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was set up in the early 1960s to administer humanitarian aid programmes on behalf of the US government around the world.

It employs around 10,000 people, two-thirds of whom work overseas. It has bases in more than 60 countries and works in dozens of others. However, most of the work on the ground is carried out by other organisations that are contracted and funded by USAID.

The range of activities it undertakes is vast. For example, not only does USAID provide food in countries where people are starving, it also operates the world's gold-standard famine detection system, which uses data analysis to try to predict where food shortages are emerging.

Much of USAID's budget is spent on health programmes, such as offering polio vaccinations in countries where the disease still circulates and helping to stop the spread of viruses which have the potential to cause a pandemic.

The BBC's international charity BBC Media Action, which is funded by external grants and voluntary contributions, receives funding from USAID. According to a 2024 report, USAID donated $3.23m (£2.6m), making it the charity's second-largest donor that financial year.

Read the letter below:

JUST IN: Notification of suspension of USAID support for supply chain activities and impact on health commodity availability in the three northern regions.#AsaaseRadio | #AsaaseABS pic.twitter.com/riu8Y1fyjX

— Asaase 99.5 (@asaaseradio995) February 5, 2025

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