Millions Of Women In Africa Face Health Crisis As U.s. Destroys Contraceptives Destined For Five Countries

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Millions of women across Africa are facing a reproductive health crisis if the Trump administration goes ahead with its plan dispose of USD 9.7 million worth of contraceptives and effectively dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development USAID in 2025 is poised to trigger a severe public health crisis across Africa. This shift in U.S. foreign policy is projected to result in millions of unintended pregnancies and thousands of preventable deaths, reversing decades of progress in global health.

The destruction of the contraceptives, primarily long-acting methods like IUDs and implants, was confirmed by the State Department, citing U.S. laws prohibiting aid to organisations involved in abortion services. The International Planned Parenthood Federation IPPF projects this action alone will deny access to contraception for over 1.4 million women and girls, and lead to potentially 174,000 unintended pregnancies and 56,000 unsafe abortions across five African countries,

The IPPF and Medecins Sans Frontieres MSF say the decision to incinerate the contraceptives, including IUDs, implants, and oral contraceptives, will affect at least five African countries for which they were destined: Tanzania, Mali, Kenya, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This comes against the background of Africas significantly underdeveloped pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity compared to other major global regions. The continent currently hosts approximately 375 drug manufacturers, with the majority concentrated in North Africa. In Sub-Saharan Africa, these facilities are clustered in only nine of 46 countries. This contrasts sharply with India, which boasts 10,000 drug manufacturers, and China, with around 5,000, both serving populations of comparable size.

Beyond the contraceptive disposal, the broader curtailment of USAIDs operations has crippled foreign assistance worldwide. A 90-day freeze on foreign aid, coupled with the termination of thousands of programmes and the administrative leave of USAID personnel, has left a massive void. If USAID provides no contraceptive care in 2025, Africa could face approximately 4.2 million unintended pregnancies and over 8,000 deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth complications.

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