The U.S. government has ceased support for HIV treatment in Nigeria and other developing nations following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump.
The U.S. State Department has frozen disbursement of funds from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a cornerstone program providing HIV treatment across Africa and other regions. The funding suspension, set to last a minimum of 90 days, has sent shockwaves through global health circles.
This decision follows an executive order issued on Trump’s first day in office, instructing all government agencies managing foreign aid programs to temporarily suspend funding. Consequently, nearly all U.S. global health funding, including PEPFAR’s $6.5 billion annual budget, has come to a sudden halt.
PEPFAR has been instrumental in delivering life-saving HIV/AIDS treatment to over 20.6 million people globally. Since its inception, it has been credited with saving approximately 26 million lives and curbing the spread of HIV. Despite this track record, the U.S. State Department has justified the freeze by stating that funds will no longer be distributed “blindly” without clear benefits for American taxpayers.
Public health experts are alarmed at the potential long-term implications. Some fear the Trump administration could eventually terminate the program entirely. However, others are cautiously optimistic that Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s history of support for PEPFAR could influence a reversal of the decision.
In Nigeria, where approximately two million people live with HIV, PEPFAR has been a lifeline, providing access to critical medications and bolstering healthcare systems. As one of the countries with the highest HIV prevalence worldwide, Nigeria has received over $6 billion in PEPFAR funding to date. The suspension—or a possible permanent end to the program—threatens to severely undermine efforts to combat the HIV epidemic in the region.