Devex: In Nigeria, Trump administration policies bite hard
“…The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump cut funding for UNFPA in April 2017 … Several Nigerian NGOs that had been receiving reproductive health supplies from UNFPA told Devex that if new funds are not mobilized from elsewhere, it could significantly harm family planning efforts in Nigeria, where the use of contraceptives remains low. … These problems have been compounded by the effects of another Trump administration policy — the so-called ‘global gag rule,’ which prohibits any U.S. government [global health] funding from going to foreign NGOs involved in abortion-related work. Various Nigerian NGOs working in the sector have lost funding as a result. Africa’s most populous country is one of the largest recipients of U.S. international development aid and relies heavily on global health assistance for family planning and maternal health initiatives, making it particularly vulnerable to the effects of the policy changes. … In Nigeria, UNFPA believes its financial crisis could have a silver lining — ensuring government officials know that donor funds cannot be relied on for critical national health policies. The government has already increased its support for the local UNFPA by $1 million, or 25 percent, since the rules came into effect. … But many do not believe that efforts to mitigate the impacts of the Trump administration’s policies can completely fill the gap…” (Adepoju, 2/5).