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This year has brought a stream of bad news for many African countries as the Trump administration cut billions of dollars in foreign aid, often shutting down programs entirely and on short notice. Recently, the U.S. ambassador to Zambia announced yet another cut in assistance, but the reason for this cut was different, and it triggered very mixed feelings from people in Zambia. NPR's Gabrielle Emanuel has the story.
GABRIELLE EMANUEL, BYLINE: The mood was somber when Ambassador Michael Gonzales sat down at a press conference. He described his shock in 2021 when he discovered that medications the U.S. had donated to Zambia were being stolen and resold for a profit.
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MICHAEL GONZALES: From 2021 through late 2023, our buyers visited more than 2,000 pharmacies in every province and district of this country.
EMANUEL: Almost all the pharmacies had stolen goods on their shelves. Roughly half had meds that the U.S. itself had donated to Zambia, where more than half the country's population lives below the poverty line. Gonzales said he spent the past year begging Zambian officials to stop the theft, but he says there's been only minimal action, so now he's cutting $50 million in U.S. aid to Zambia for medications and medical supplies. This is unrelated to Trump's sweeping aid cuts earlier this year.
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GONZALES: I view this as a heart-wrenching, worst-case scenario. I've lost sleep over this. I've cried over this.
EMANUEL: Wiping away tears at the press conference, Gonzales said it was a hard choice because he knew it would not be those getting rich from the theft who would suffer.
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GONZALES: I know it's going to be the poor family in rural Zambia whose baby gets malaria, and they won't have access to antimalarials. It breaks my heart. But I also have a duty to the American people, to the American taxpayer.
EMANUEL: After the cut was announced, the Zambian Minister of Health, Elijah Muchima, posted a statement on social media.
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ELIJAH MUCHIMA: The Zambian government wishes to reaffirm its commitment to resolving this unfortunate issue.
EMANUEL: He admitted this is a long-standing problem and argued that his government is taking action, including suspending or removing several senior members of Zambia's medical supply agency. But many Zambians are not satisfied, including Chris Zumani Zimba, a local political analyst.
CHRIS ZUMANI ZIMBA: In the eyes of many Zambians today, the United States government is being seen as a hero government. It is exposing gross corruption in the public health sector.
EMANUEL: At the same time, he says, the cut in aid is creating a sense of fear among those who rely on U.S. aid.
ZIMBA: It was like declaring a funeral in advance in many household who depend on those lifesaving drugs.
EMANUEL: Theft of donated drugs has happened before, says Paul Spiegel of Johns Hopkins.
PAUL SPIEGEL: Corruption in general is not unusual, whether it be high-income countries, like the U.S. or Europe, or low-income countries.
EMANUEL: But relative to all the aid that's given globally, he says, the amount that's misused is very small. He says what makes this announcement noteworthy is that it stands in stark contrast to Trump's very abrupt halt to foreign aid. Instead, this particular cut isn't taking effect until the end of 2025 so that the Zambian government has time to find alternative funding.
SPIEGEL: It's done with a plan in mind to reduce the suffering, and that is not what is happening in this current administration whatsoever. It's quite the opposite.
EMANUEL: Still, he says, it's a cut in aid, and the health consequences for many Zambians could be dire. Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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