By A Correspondent

The United States plans to slash $555 million in contributions to the African Development Bank’s main aid fund, the African Development Fund (ADF), marking a significant shift in U.S. foreign aid policy under the Trump administration.

According to a senior official in Washington, D.C., the proposed cuts are part of a broader effort to “reassess and realign U.S. foreign assistance with core national interests.”

The official said, “The ADF does not reflect the strategic priorities of this administration moving forward. We’re focusing on bilateral initiatives that yield measurable results.”

A proposal sent to Congress outlines the administration’s intention to halt U.S. contributions to the ADF by 2026. The fund, which supports low-income African countries, is entering the final year of its current $8.9 billion, three-year funding cycle. In October 2024, African member countries had lobbied for a dramatic increase to $25 billion, a figure now in jeopardy.

The U.S., the fund’s second-largest donor since it began supporting the ADF in 1976, would leave a significant gap in the donor pool. While some other countries have scaled back, none have proposed such a steep withdrawal.

A source from the U.S. Treasury Department stated, “It’s time for other donor countries and institutions to step up. We’re not abandoning development efforts, but we are demanding more efficiency and burden-sharing.”

Alongside the ADF cut, the administration’s budget also calls for the closure.