TEFO PHEAGE
The recent executive order by US President Donald Trump to aggressively cut foreign aid has sent shockwaves through Botswana’s HIV/AIDS response community, sparking fears of reversed gains, financial woes, widespread job losses, and shutting down of critical civil society organisations.
Historically, the US has been a major contributor to Botswana’s HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts through programmes like the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and agencies like Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Global Fund.
These entities have played a pivotal role in supporting HIV testing, antiretroviral treatment (ART), prevention campaigns, and awareness initiatives in collaboration with Botswana’s Ministry of Health and local NGOs. The most recent PEPFAR funding allocated to Botswana amounted to P600 million, which shows the scale of resources at risk due to the withdrawal of US support.
Threat to UNAIDS 95-95-95
The US withdrawal threatens to reverse Botswana’s hard-earned progress towards the UNAIDS 95-95-95 goals, a milestone achieved in under two decades, and could exacerbate the country’s already dire financial challenges as it now forces the government to step up and shoulder the burden.
The 95-95-95 strategy aims to ensure that 95% of people living with HIV know their status, 95% of those diagnosed receive sustained ART, and 95% of those on treatment achieve viral suppression.
Speaking to this publication, the National Coordinator of the National AIDS and Health Promotion Agency (NAHPA), Ontiretse Letlhare, expressed concern about the news. “We are aware of the US administration’s executive order to withdraw foreign aid but have not yet been formally briefed,” he said. “What we are doing is seeking clarity from our development partners, and I can assure you that efforts are ongoing.”
NGOs told to stop work
He acknowledged that the loss of US support is a severe blow, particularly for civil society organisations that are instrumental in Botswana’s HIV/AIDS response. However, Letlhare was eager to calm fears, expressing confidence that the government would take the necessary measures to mitigate the impact.
The American government has already notified Botswana’s civil society organisations of the funding cuts, instructing them to “stop all work, not incur any new costs, and cancel as many outstanding obligations as possible”. NGOs like the Botswana Network on Ethics, Law, and HIV/AIDS (BONELA), Tebelopele, and Stepping Stone International – many of which rely heavily on U.S. direct support – now face an uncertain future.
Major setback
Cindy Kelemi, Chairperson of BOCONGO, the Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organisations, has described the US decision as “a disaster”. She elaborated: “This is a major setback for our HIV/AIDS response and the progress we’ve worked so hard to achieve. Civil society organisations are in a state of panic, with many facing closure, job losses, and the risk of our HIV/AIDS efforts falling into disarray.”
Kelemi cited Tebelopele, an NGO that provides antiretroviral therapy (ART) to 400 to 500 patients, as an example of those left in limbo by the abrupt cessation of operations and funding. Asked how they intend to counter the situation, Kelemi said BOCONGO is planning to meet and petition the government “to fill the gap, at least temporarily, while strategising on long-term sustainable solutions”.
Upon being contacted, public health expert Dr Edward Maganu emphasised the broader implications of the US foreign aid cuts, including America’s withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (WHO). “The role of WHO in global health is critical, and the US has been its largest contributor,” he said. “Suddenly stopping that support will have devastating effects on international health efforts, including polio eradication and HIV/AIDS control.”
Botswana upper-middle income
However, Dr Maganu, expressed the hope that Botswana, as an upper-middle-income country, will manage the impact to some extent. “Compared to other African countries, Botswana is less dependent on aid,” he noted. “Programmes like those funded by PEPFAR will suffer, but the country generally finances its own development. While there will be suffering, I believe Botswana can hold its own.”
For Kennedy Mupeli, Programme Director at the Centre for Youth of Hope (CEYOHO), the situation is dire. “This is a life-and-death matter for some,” he told The Botswana Gazette. “I don’t understand why the government hasn’t released a statement to address the panic within civil society and people living with HIV/AIDS.”
Mupeli vividly recalled how, during every funding application process, donors would always emphasise the importance of sustainability and inquire about long-term plans to maintain the initiatives. His sentiments were shared by David Ngele, the first Motswana to go public about his HIV-positive status, who called the US decision “a wake-up call for Botswana to establish sustainable strategies in its fight against HIV/AIDS.”
Boko praises Trump
While civil society voices despair at Trump’s foreign policies and aggressive diplomatic posture, President Duma Boko recently praised Trump’s foreign policy stance in an interview with the international media, calling the American president “a positive influence on global diplomacy”. Boko asserted: “Trump brings robust diplomacy and is good for world peace. We flatter each other too much. He calls it as he sees it.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Phenyo Butale, had not responded to Gazette questions before publishing.