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By Darius Spearman (africanelements)
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Funding Crisis Fuels WFP Office Closure
The World Food Programme (WFP) will shutter its Johannesburg-based Southern Africa bureau by June 2025 following unprecedented U.S. aid cuts. Washington terminated 90% of its contributions through USAID, slashing $4.4 billion from UN food programs. This represents half the WFP’s 2024 global budget and accelerates restructuring plans initiated in 2023 (AA.com).
While operations won’t immediately halt, the closure risks disrupting drought relief for 7.2 million people. Southern Africa faces its worst agricultural crisis in 40 years, with maize production down 60% regionwide. WFP staff warn that Nairobi-based coordination could slow emergency responses as climate extremes intensify (Semafor).
Drought Devastates Regional Food Security
Extended El-Niño patterns have parched farmlands across six nations since 2022. In March 2025, Zambia declared a national disaster as malnutrition rates doubled among children under five. Malawi’s soybean harvests collapsed by 72%, leaving 4.8 million needing urgent aid (WYTV).
Regional governments sought $147 million from donors before U.S. cuts eliminated critical seed and irrigation programs. Zimbabwe now reports 10-hour power outages daily as hydroelectric dams run dry. Contingency plans remain unclear as Nairobi’s distant hub strains to manage cross-border logistics (AA.com).
US Aid Cuts Disrupt Multilateral Partnerships
Trump’s 2025 executive order realigned foreign aid to favor bilateral over UN commitments. Experts call this a strategic miscalculation as China expands agricultural investments in Zambia and Angola. Yet no Asian donor currently matches WFP’s nutrition expertise in remote areas (Jurist).
Washington’s retreat leaves Germany as the WFP’s top contributor at $1 billion annually – just 21% of former U.S. levels. EU diplomats privately criticize the cuts as “catastrophically timed” during overlapping climate and displacement crises (Semafor).
