IMPACT OF USAID CLOSURE ON ESWATINI

MBABANE – As Eswatini, among many countries, breathed a sigh of relief after aid through PEPFAR was restored, USAID Headquarters has now been shut down. The closure of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) headquarters, ordered by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, poses a significant threat to vital aid and development initiatives in Eswatini. This development has brought anxiety among some employees dependent on USAID, as they are uncertain of what would happen next.

The shutdown of the USAID headquarters happened five days after over 215 000 people living with HIV in Eswatini heaved a sigh of relief as the United States approved an ‘Emergency Humanitarian Waiver.’  The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, on Wednesday approved the waiver as part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the world’s largest HIV initiative. The waiver follows a recent announcement by the US Department of State of a 90-day pause in foreign assistance funding to evaluate its programmatic efficiency and alignment with US foreign policy. The suspension had raised concerns about the continuity of critical HIV services.

Reports indicate that the abrupt shutdown - marked by the cessation of operations in Washington, DC - will have dire consequences for programmes supporting healthcare and economic development in the country, particularly those related to HIV/AIDS treatment through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). In an audio announcement shared via social media, Musk revealed their decision to shutter the agency, stating that over the decades, USAID had become ‘beyond repair’. As quoted by the Daily Mail, Musk said: “It became apparent that it’s not an apple with a worm in it... What we have is just a ball of worms. You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing.”

Stunned

The United Kingdom-based publication reported that staff at USAID was reportedly stunned when they received emails instructing them to refrain from accessing the agency’s headquarters. It stated that yesterday morning; the agency’s official website was also taken offline, leaving many employees locked out of vital systems and awaiting further instructions.
The shutdown of the USAID website resulted in the local website of the entity being inaccessible. It is worth noting that local executives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have been ordered not to engage the media regarding the 47th President of the United States of America (USA), Donald Trump’s, executive orders issued on January 20, 2025 ushered in a 90-day pause on disbursements of foreign aid.

The executive order was followed by the ‘stop-work order’ approved by US Secretary of State Rubio four days later unexpectedly ordering all current work to stop immediately. Letters were sent to US grant recipients following a ‘stop-work order’ issued two Fridays ago by the US State Department’s Office of Foreign Assistance. In light of these developments, media houses sought comments from directors of various organisations, regarding the impact of the executive orders. In fact, a number of the entities listed on the USAID Eswatini website to be beneficiaries when sought for comment declined to comment and or requested not to be mentioned.

This publication has since established that beneficiaries of the assistance extended by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have been advised to shy away from the media. This directive to the executives of the NGOs was subsequent to the correspondence advising them of the ‘Stop-Work Order and Award Suspension Notice’. This happened at a time when Eswatini, which has a population of over 215 000 people enrolled in antiretroviral therapy (ART), received about E831.15 million (US$44.42) on HIV/AIDS assistance.

HIV/AIDS

The aid dedicated to HIV/AIDS is a larger share of the E 935.55 million (US$50.05 million) support from the USAID which was allocated to Eswatini in 2024. The funds from these agencies are crucial for purchasing antiretroviral drugs, condoms, pre-exposure prophylaxis and for enhancing systems for collecting and analysing data on epidemiology, including interactions between diseases such as HIV/AIDS, diabetes and hypertension. Locally, a high number of entities benefit from USAID through the PEPFAR.

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