The US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has announced a new funding cut in an assistance programme for Mozambique. This involves 10 million dollars (632 million meticals) intended to provide support for male circumcision initiatives.
According to a DOGE list, made official at the weekend and verified by Lusa, the ‘Voluntary male medical circumcision in Mozambique’ programme is one of 15 ‘cancelled’ by that new department in African, Asian and European countries.
Earlier, Elon Musk, who heads the new department created by US President Donald Trump, had criticised the sending of 50 million dollars (3.1 billion meticals) in condoms, on the assumption that the destination was the Gaza Strip in the Middle East. However, the money was for an HIV/AIDS prevention programme in Gaza province, southern Mozambique.
‘I don’t know if we should send 50 million dollars worth of condoms anywhere, frankly. I don’t know if that’s something the Americans are excited about. And by the way, that’s a lot of money in condoms. If it’s for Mozambique and not Gaza, it’s not so bad, but why are we doing it?’ Musk questioned.
The Mozambican government said on 7 February that the suspension of US international aid compromises health programmes in the country, especially HIV/AIDS, and that it was in ‘dialogue’ with the US embassy to ‘mitigate the impacts’.
‘The sudden withdrawal of this support compromises (…) the efficient implementation of these programmes (…). US government support finances a considerable part of the provision of health professionals and, above all, in the area of HIV/AIDS care,’ said Inocêncio Impissa, government spokesman and Minister of State Administration and Civil Service, during a press conference in Maputo.
In the first days of his second term, Trump suspended all international aid for 90 days, with the exception of humanitarian food programmes and military aid to Israel and Egypt.
Recognising the ‘seriousness of the measure’ announced by Donald Trump, Impissa nevertheless guaranteed the continuity of essential health services, urging the population not to panic. He also stressed that the suspension of funding also has implications for the purchase and distribution of medicines, and stressed the importance of support to maintain strategic and priority healthcare programmes in the country, such as the fight against HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, among other diseases.
‘Both the central and regional warehouses are going to experience some overcrowding of medicines over the next few days because the logistics of transporting them to the points where they need to be distributed has broken down,’ the minister said, adding that the ratio of health professionals to inhabitants is also being called into question.
According to Inocêncio Impissa, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has established a ratio of 45 professionals per 10,000 inhabitants, but Mozambique has just over 18 professionals per 10,000 inhabitants: ‘We are a long way off, and this suspension of support is, of course, a huge challenge if we are to reach this target,’ he said, adding: ‘The government has started a dialogue with the United States of America to reverse or mitigate the scenario of the suspension of funding, but also to mobilise alternative sources of funding.’
Impissa also said that it will be necessary to define priorities and optimise the country’s existing resources to minimise the impact of the suspension of funding on essential services: ‘We need to define priorities of what should not be missed during the period in which this measure is in place, but also explore emergency funding mechanisms to guarantee the continuity of critical services until a durable and sustainable solution is found,’ said the spokesman for the Mozambican executive.
In the first days of his second term, Trump suspended all international aid for 90 days, with the exception of humanitarian food programmes and military aid to Israel and Egypt.
