Africa: U.S. Foreign Assistance Issues

Abstract

U.S. aid to Africa reached a peak in 1985, when global competition with the Soviet Union was at a high point. After the Cold War ended, security assistance levels for Africa began to decline. In 1995, at the outset of the 104th Congress, substantial reductions in aid to Africa had been anticipated, as many questioned the importance of Africa to U.S. national security interests in the post-Cold War era. As the debate went forward, however, congressional reports and bills emphasized U.S. humanitarian, economic, and other interests in Africa. Aid levels did fall, but gradually began to increase again in FY1997. U.S. assistance to Africa is reaching new highs due to a significant increase in health care sectors under the Global Health and Child Survival (GHCS) program. U.S. aid to Africa nearly quadrupled from $1.2 billion in FY2006 to $4.7 billion in FY2007. Moreover, the United States is the leading donor of humanitarian assistance to Africa. In FY2009, the United States provided an estimated $1 billion in humanitarian aid to Sudan.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 24, 2009
Accession Number
ADA511406

Entities

People

  • Ted Dagne

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Africa
  • Climate Change
  • Cold War
  • Counterterrorism
  • Department Of State
  • Education
  • Governments
  • Health Care
  • Humanitarian Assistance
  • International Organizations
  • Law
  • Military Education
  • Security
  • Terrorism
  • Training
  • United Nations
  • United States

Readers

  • Defense Financial Management and Audit.
  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Strategic Security Studies