The Swedish Government has announced that the country will gradually phase out development aid to five countries, of which four are African — Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mozambique and Liberia — and one is in the Americas, Bolivia. The cuts will take place over the coming years as Stockholm redefines its funding priorities towards Ukraine and domestic needs, including immigration-related costs.
According to a report published by Business Insider Africa, Sweden’s Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Benjamin Dousa, stated that the shift was necessary in order to meet Sweden’s growing foreign-policy commitments.
“Ukraine is Sweden’s most important priority in both foreign policy and development assistance, and therefore the Government will increase aid to Ukraine to at least 1.06 billion dollars in 2026,” the minister said, adding bluntly: “There is no secret money-printing machine for aid purposes, and the money has to come from somewhere.”
According to the Government, redirecting the funding will free up more than 2 billion Swedish kronor over the next two years — resources that will be channelled into projects such as rebuilding Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Sweden has already reduced aid to more than ten countries since the right-wing coalition came to power in 2022, including cuts affecting Burkina Faso and Mali.
A broader reckoning for aid-dependent African economies
The announcement deepens growing anxiety among African nations that depend heavily on foreign development support.
For countries like Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Mozambique — states struggling with weak fiscal reserves, high unemployment and post-pandemic slowdowns — Sweden’s withdrawal comes at a time when global aid flows are already under pressure.
Many African governments now face an increasingly wide financing gap as traditional donors reassess their priorities in the face of global conflicts, climate pressures and domestic political shifts.
This trend reflects broader realignments in donor countries, including the United States.
Under President Donald Trump’s assertive “America First” development stance, Washington has increasingly pushed for aid programmes that emphasise “self-reliance,” smaller funding envelopes and stricter conditionalities.
The recent restructuring of U.S. global health and development initiatives — including a reduced presence in several African countries following the dismantling of parts of the United States Agency for International Development’s frameworks — reflects the same pattern of declining external support to traditional beneficiaries.
