In Nigeria, foreign aid props up broken systems, but does it improve healthcare—or just keep bad policies alive?
When Aid Becomes Addiction
A lifeline can become a leash. Nigeria’s healthcare system knows this all too well.
In 2023, the United States poured $600 million into Nigeria’s health sector, covering over a fifth of the nation’s total health budget. Over a decade, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funneled $6.39 billion into programs for HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. On the surface, this looks like generosity. But what happens when the tap runs dry? When the Trump administration froze foreign aid, the cracks became impossible to ignore. Hospitals scrambled. Salaries went unpaid. Life-saving programs stalled. Nigeria’s healthcare system—built on external funding—stood exposed.
The reality is harsh: 70% of health expenditures in Nigeria come from private sources. Families shoulder unbearable costs. Public financing covers just 30%, making the country an outlier among nations with stronger, more stable systems. The government promised nearly . . .
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