How Trump's USAID freeze hits those with HIV in Ghana

DW (English)

President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend the work of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) could have dire consequences for Ghana. The gains made in fighting HIV/AIDS in particular risk being reversed.

Transcript

00:30Globally, about 20 million people depend on ARVs from the U.S. government.

00:37So they are already feeling it.

00:41Now even though our supplies come from the Global Fund, remember that the U.S. government

00:46is also the biggest contributor to the Global Fund.

00:49So should they in the future decide to withdraw their funding, it's going to impact us severely.

00:54So there's that fear, there's that trauma among our HIV population.

01:01Strategic information activities, capacity building activities, and because of that people's

01:28salaries also.

01:31The service providers who are working in these areas are going to have their remunerations

01:40suspended until further notice.

01:49Infant babies that are exposed to HIV will be greatly affected due to the issue of PEPFAR

01:59or USAID, who actually provides medication for these exposed babies.

02:12And so we're going to make adjustments in the budget.

02:16Happily, when we have elections, we don't present the budget until the new government

02:22takes over.

02:23And so we're supposed to present the budget in March, so it's possible for us to make

02:27provision to cover what the shortfall in U.S. assistance is going to be.

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