Aid is a lifeline. A promise. A contract signed in agreement that in a world of need, we help those left behind, particularly the most vulnerable. When that lifeline is suspended with minimal transition planning, what follows isn’t just numbers on a spreadsheet. 

What follows are systemic disruptions and humanitarian challenges. And that’s exactly what unfolded across Africa when a stop work order on all U.S. foreign assistance was issued. 

Across Africa, the stop work order led to far-reaching disruptions in life-saving programs, health services, humanitarian assistance, economic challenges, and security. Projections estimate that the aid freeze will push an additional 5.7 million Africans below the extreme poverty line within the first 12 months, and grow to affect 19 million more by 2030. That’s not all. It is also estimated that the cuts will shrink the economy of Sub-Saharan Africa by $4.6 billion over the next five years.

Inside Nigeria’s Aid Shock: A Close Look at SCIDaR’s Struggle and Shift

A frontline health worker attends to mothers and children at a community outreach clinic in Bauchi State, Nigeria. | Photo by Nigeria Health Watch


In Nigeria, foreign aid has been crucial in the fight against infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, providing humanitarian assistance, and improving maternal and child healthcare for vulnerable communities. However, funding cuts have disrupted several crucial initiatives, including Solina Centre for International Development and Research’s (SCIDaR) HIV programming, workforce development, and services that are inclusive and equity focused.

Here is a closer look at how deep the cuts have gone.

SCIDaR is a Nigeria-based nonprofit organization focused on improving health and development outcomes through evidence-based implementation, policy advocacy, and systems strengthening in Africa. 

Through the USAID-funded ASPIRE program, SCIDaR provided essential HIV services such as testing, treatment, and maternal care to underserved populations in rural areas across Abuja (Federal Capital Territory) , Nasarawa, Rivers, and other Nigerian states.
SCIDaR tested over 81,000 individuals for HIV in 2024 alone, linking 98% of those who tested positive to treatment. Viral load coverage reached 92%, with suppression rates exceeding 90%  — indicating positive outcomes of both program reach and treatment quality. More than 11,000 pregnant women were tested during antenatal care, and over 1,000 women living with HIV received cervical cancer screening. 

One of the beneficiaries of this program is Grace, a 30-year-old expectant mother in Abuja (FCT). When funding was frozen, Grace’s access to those services was abruptly disrupted, and her baby’s care was thrown into uncertainty. 

That’s not all. Nearly 2,000 frontline health workers and technical roles tied to the program were reassigned or phased out, while critical components like logistics, training sessions, mentorship, and accreditation support were delayed or canceled. As a result, the workforce essential to sustaining rural health services was significantly weakened.

With Aid Gone, What’s Next for SCIDaR?

As donor funding dries up, SCIDaR is shifting toward government partnerships and community-led solutions to sustain critical services like immunization and maternal care. | Photo by Nigeria Health Watch

With the abrupt withdrawal of U.S. financial support to the program, SCIDaR was thrust into a situation that demanded a fundamental shift in its role within Nigeria’s broader health ecosystem and a move toward greater financial self-reliance. 

The organization deepened its collaboration with federal and state governments, embedding technical support within public institutions and co-financing key interventions. By aligning its work with national priorities such as the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), SCIDaR reduced its dependence on foreign aid and reinforced the foundation for long-term health system reform. At the policy level, the organization continues to advocate for increased domestic investment in health, maternal care, and workforce development.

To lead this transformation, SCIDaR launched an internal Innovation Office tasked with designing scalable, grassroots-anchored solutions that are more resilient when compared to the typical donor funding cycle. This shift included investments in digitizing human resources and health planning with tools such as the Integrated Human Resource Information System (iHRIS 5.0) for workforce planning, and the expansion of community-led models like Community Reorientation Women’s Network (CRoWN), which strengthen local accountability and service continuity even in resource-constrained settings.

In parallel, SCIDaR started exploring alternative financing pathways through partnerships with private sector actors. Collaborations with financial institutions such as Wema Bank and Access Bank led to the development of access-to-finance platforms and tailored loan products for local health-focused small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Through initiatives like Promoting Accreditation for Community Health Services (PACS) and Smiles for Mothers, over 200,000 providers received business support and credit, sustaining frontline care where traditional aid had withdrawn. SCIDaR also piloted blended financing models alongside state governments and private actors to fund digital tools and health workforce systems. Through the i3 Africa initiative, it supported African health-tech innovators, unlocking over $11 million in contracts to scale grassroots solutions.

In the communities served by SCIDaR, there is a clear demand for continuity. Community members have shown resilience and a desire to protect the gains made by the organization’s initiatives. For instance, in Ngbo, a rural area that benefited from health workforce optimization, community members and local leaders rallied to protect the gains in their training institutions. While concerns over the continuity of HIV care and maternal health remain — particularly among pregnant women, youth, and caregivers — advocacy for sustained support is growing louder. 

SCIDaR’s Evolution Mirrors a Continental Awakening

SCIDaR’s transformation is not happening in isolation. Across Africa, a growing number of impact-led organizations are confronting the same hard truth: the era of relying on traditional aid models is no longer sustainable, and the pivot from dependence to building resilience has become urgent.

Abrupt donor withdrawals have triggered widespread program disruption and data vacuum across the continent, forcing these organizations to rethink how impact is financed, owned, and sustained. The systems that once made consistent, reliable impact tracking possible are either underfunded or gone entirely. During a Devex briefing on Testing Africa's Health Independence, Africa CDC’s Director General, Dr. Jean Kaseya called out the widening data gap, and the need for Africa to build a data management system to track progress.  

SCIDaR’s pivot toward innovation, government alignment, collaborations, and alternative financing stands out as a compelling blueprint for navigating this new reality. But to achieve this vision, SCICaR and other similar African-led organizations need catalytic support from partners willing to invest not just in programs, but in the long-term capacity, digital infrastructure, and local knowledge to create efficient health systems. It is organizations like this that bridge the last mile, translating resources into measurable outcomes while building systems that endure.

Aid may be gone, but the mission is far from over. In fact, it’s entering a new chapter — one rooted in African leadership, defined by African solutions.