Foreign Aid in Transition: A Critical Assessment of USAID's Withdrawal From Five Countries in Sub‐Saharan Africa

In January 2025, a US executive order initiated a significant restructuring of USAID, halting nearly all international spending for 90 days and terminating a substantial portion of its foreign aid contracts. This policy shift threatens to unravel decades of development progress, particularly in sub‐Saharan Africa, where USAID has been integral to health, food security, governance, and economic development. This commentary develops a multi‐phase transition framework to address the dissolution's impact on five key beneficiary countries: Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Ethiopia. These nations face setbacks in maternal and child health, disease prevention, agricultural productivity, and governance. We propose a structured approach to resilience, emphasizing diversified funding sources, progressive tax reforms, enhanced domestic resource mobilization, public‐private partnerships, and regional cooperation. By adopting these strategies, sub‐Saharan African nations can mitigate the effects of USAID's absence, safeguard vital development progress, and transition toward greater self‐reliance amid shifting global aid dynamics.