The US phasing out of its leadership role in international aid, with significant cuts to USAID's budget, leaves a vacuum that worries many African countries. With an annual budget in excess of $40 billion, the agency funded both humanitarian aid and development projects. Its withdrawal jeopardises crucial advances in health and social welfare, and although the Bill Gates Foundation has increased its contribution, the gap remains immense.
Against this backdrop, new actors are emerging on the international cooperation scene. Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are increasing their financial influence in Africa, a trend that is reflected in the recent election of Sidi Ould Tah, former president of the Banque Arabe de Développement in Africa, to head the Banque Africaine de Développement. Thomas Melonio, chief economist at the Agence Française de Développement, analyses in this interview the challenges and possible solutions to compensate for the US reduction.