European Union crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib announced at the Davos Forum (19-24 January) that the EU would spend €1.9 billion on humanitarian aid, of which €557 million (US$658.6m) is for Africa. Contracting out aid provision and development policy to the private sector is at the heart of United States President Donald J Trump’s agenda (Dispatches, 8/12/25, Ruto moves adeptly to shore up ties with Washington). These cuts are expected to continue in 2026, dropping ODA to its lowest level since 2020 of around €160bn. But the real figures for aid to developing and least developed countries (LDCs) are much lower in reality. This is because billions of euros formally counted as ODA have been diverted support for Ukraine’s war and housing asylum seekers.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 25, 2026 23:21 UTC