The UN World Food Program (WFP) will close its southern Africa office following the Trump administration’s recent foreign aid cuts. The decision underscores the broader impact of the administration’s termination of approximately 90 percent of USAID’s foreign aid contracts, a move that has disrupted humanitarian operations worldwide.
WFP spokesperson Tomson Phiri told the Associated Press that the agency had already initiated a restructuring plan in 2023. However, the worsening donor funding outlook has necessitated an acceleration of those efforts. The agency will consolidate its southern and East Africa operations into a single regional office in Nairobi, Kenya, while shutting down its Johannesburg office. Despite this restructuring, Phiri assured that food programs would continue, affirming WFP’s commitment to serving vulnerable populations.
The WFP has not disclosed the specific financial losses incurred due to USAID’s funding reductions. However, in 2024, the US contributed $4.4 billion to WFP — approximately half of its total annual budget and over four times the amount provided by Germany, its second-largest donor.
The Trump administration’s aid cuts stem from Executive Order 14169, which halts all foreign assistance for 90 days and mandates that US foreign assistance must align with the President’s foreign policy objectives. The order led to the suspension of 230 contracts and grants shortly after its implementation. Several UN organs and rights organizations voiced concerns over the shutdowns of humanitarian programs worldwide, including those in Afghanistan, Ukraine and Myanmar.
The decision to defund humanitarian initiatives comes amid one of southern Africa’s worst droughts in decades, which has placed 27 million people at risk of hunger, according to the WFP. Prior to the aid cuts, the WFP had already appealed for $147 million in donations to support those affected by the crisis.
The aid suspension received backlash and has prompted legal challenges in US courts, including a lawsuit that resulted in a temporary restraining order blocking the aid freeze. Meanwhile, US Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN) has initiated impeachment proceedings against the federal judge who issued the restraining order, arguing that the decision unlawfully interferes with presidential authority over foreign policy.