Sub-Saharan Africa is the most aid-dependent region globally – IMF
Analysis done by two researchers at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Chie Aoyagi, Maurizio Leonardi, Athene Laws, and Hamza Mighri, has pointed out that Sub-Saharan Africa is the most aid-dependent region globally.
On average, the analysis said, aid accounted for about 3% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2024—well above other regions, making the current drop in aid especially consequential.
For decades, official development assistance has been a central pillar of financing in sub-Saharan Africa.
That pillar is now weakening—quickly and broadly, the analysis said.
In 2025, it said, bilateral aid to the region fell sharply, with early estimates pointing to cuts of about 26 percent in a single year.
“Multilateral support is also under pressure, with major institutions projecting sizeable budget reductions.
“More cuts may follow as donors reset priorities in a shifting geopolitical environment,” it said.
The immediate task is to manage the decline in aid without backsliding on the significant human development achievements of the past decades. The longer-term challenge is to adapt to a world where aid is less abundant and less predictable. How countries navigate both will shape growth and development outcomes for years to come.
Source: 3news by Laud Nartey
